UNITED NATIONS, Oct 29 (APP): The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday adopted, by an overwhelming majority, a resolution calling for an end to the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba for a 33rd year, despite intense lobbying by Washington among member states to vote against the text.
The vote in the 193-member world body was 167 in favour to 7 against, with 12 abstentions. Last year, it was 187-2, with “no” votes from the U.S. and Israel and one abstention. This year, the U.S. convinced Argentina, Hungary, North Macedonia, Paraguay and Ukraine to join it and Israel in voting against the resolution.
The twelve abstentions came from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Costa Rica, Czechia, Ecuador, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, Poland, Moldova and Romania.
The vote came as Cuba was hit by Hurricane Melissa.
The General Assembly has repeatedly debated the severe impact of the embargo on the Cuban people, highlighting its negative effects on daily life, human rights, and economic development, and calling on the U.S. to terminate blockade of the country.
Ahead of the vote, Pakistani Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said that Pakistan “stands in solidarity” with Cuba, as he voiced deep concern over the impact that the economic, financial and commercial embargo has had on the island nation.
Explaining its decision to abstain, Poland – also speaking on behalf of Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – said it reflected “the selective application of the UN Charter,” citing Cuba’s continued support for Russia amid its full-scale and continuing invasion of Ukraine, where Cuban nationals have reportedly been fighting on Moscow’s side.
Romania echoed those concerns, noting that while it had long supported the resolution, “foreign involvement in an illegal war of aggression is a blatant violation of the UN Charter and international law,” calling on Cuba to withdraw support for the invasion.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla rejected allegations that Cuban troops were fighting alongside Russia in Ukraine.
While the resolution remains non-binding, its passage once again signals the international community’s disapproval of unilateral coercive measures with extraterritorial effects.
The text reiterates the Assembly’s long-standing appeal for all States to reject punitive US legislation such as the Helms-Burton Act of 1996, which Cuba and other countries argue violates international law and the UN Charter.
The Assembly also highlighted measures adopted by US President Barack Obama in 2015 and 2016 to modify some aspects of the embargo, “which contrast with the measures applied since 2017 [under the first Donald Trump administration] to reinforce its implementation.”
Through the resolution, the General Assembly also decided once again to include the embargo text in the provisional agenda of next year’s session.
APP/ift