UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY CALLS FOR END TO US EMBARGO ON CUBA

The UN General Assembly voted on Wednesday to call for an end to the United States’ economic, trade and financial embargo on Cuba. The assembly recorded 130 votes in favour, 17 against and 25 abstentions. The United States and Israel voted against the resolution, while Germany and Italy abstained after previously supporting it. The tally gave the resolution its lowest level of support since 1995, compared with more than 160 votes in favour last year. The resolution carries no legal force.

The General Assembly has approved similar resolutions almost every year since 1992. The US embargo dates to 1960, following Fidel Castro’s revolution and Cuba’s nationalisation of US-owned property. President Donald Trump’s administration has added economic restrictions, including limits on oil supplies. Cuban officials accused Washington of threatening countries with tariffs and visa restrictions to influence the vote. Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Morocco, Slovenia and Bosnia also voted against the resolution.

Before the vote, US ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz denied that Cuba faced a blockade and said “the plight of the Cuban people is exclusively the fault of this corrupt communist regime.” Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez wrote afterwards that the US was “once again isolated in its attempt to continue strangling the Cuban people”. Waltz accused senior Cuban officials of enjoying luxury lifestyles while ordinary Cubans faced shortages. He displayed photographs of Cuban leaders, including President Miguel Díaz-Canel, wearing luxury watches, prompting Cuban delegates to bang on their desks. During an exchange, Rodríguez approached Waltz and accused him of lying; Waltz shouted for him to back away.