The U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly called on the United States to end its decades-long sanctions regime on Cuba, as the communist-run Caribbean island nation suffers its worst economic crisis in decades marked by collapsing infrastructure and shortages of basic goods.
The non-binding resolution was approved by 187 countries and opposed only by the United States and Israel, with Moldava abstaining. This was the 32nd consecutive year that similar non-binding resolutions were approved by huge margins.
The vote came just days before the U.S. election with the Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Republican contender Donald Trump signaling little interest in changing policy.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said in a speech before the assembly that what is often referred to as the U.S. trade embargo is a “blockade” because the web of laws and regulations complicate financial transactions and the acquisition of goods and services not just from the United States but internationally.
"The blockade against Cuba is an economic, financial and trade war which qualifies as genocide," said Rodriguez, charging the U.S. policies were deliberately aimed at promoting suffering among the Cuban people to force change in the government.
U.S. diplomat Paul Folmsbee, in a brief speech after the vote did not challenge the view that sanctions were undermining Cuba's economy, but said they were aimed at promoting "human rights and democracy" and that the U.S. made exceptions for humanitarian purposes.
The United States has piled dozens of new sanctions on the Communist-run country since a trade embargo was put in place following Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, most recently under former President Donald Trump.
Rodriguez blamed those new sanctions, which include some fuel exports to Cuba, for being largely responsible for the country's current energy crisis and the temporary crash of the grid last week.
© Thomson Reuters 2024.
17 Comments
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TokyoLiving
Stop the criminal US
TokyoLiving
Sanctions against Cuba..
JJE
The economic blockade is a shocking act of senseless genocide against the Cuban people. Real criminal stuff that is a massive affront to public decency.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Yeah, yeah. Are they still hosting China spy bases? Why yes, yes they are.
TaiwanIsNotChina
There has never been an economic blockade of Cuba and the real indecencies are invasions and annexations.
JJE
According to you, spy bases are non-hostile.
JJE
Only USA and Israel were against this. What a farce.
Amazing - more countries condemned this than did Russia's defensive limited ground operation.
Both of these countries now have been condemned by more countries at the UN on separate occasions than has Russia.
Great stuff.
JJE
Denying there has never been an economic blockade of Cuba is probably one of the most specific dishonest things one could ever say. Unfortunately, it fits into an all too typical pattern of ongoing deception.
theFu
Don't aid your enemies in anyway. The Cuban govt is the enemy of the US and has been since before I was born. I only wish the US would do the same to China, Russia, Belarus, Syria, Iran, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and all other authoritarian countries around the world limiting their citizens.
It is dumb to provide aid and trade to your enemies, right?
When those govts become democratic, even if they have people in power the US doesn't prefer, then they should be taken off the list prevented to do business with US companies.
Cubans in Miami are the largest, loudest, group demanding these sanctions. Of course, Russia, China, Belarus, Syria, Iran, Venezuela, Nicaragua are free to trade with them, which would certainly help the economic situation in Cuba. Why don't they do that?
Desert Tortoise
Cuba has normal diplomatic and trade relations with every other nation in the world. There is literally nothing Cuba needs from the US that it cannot obtain from European, Asian or African nations it routinely trades with. If Cuba's economy is a wreck it is Cuba's problem to solve. Ending the US embargo will change nothing other than perhaps perceptions.
Desert Tortoise
The US is not and cannot stop any other nation from trading with Cuba. The Cuban economy is not being deprived by the US trade embargo. They can trade with any other nation there is. But what do they have to sell? Not much. Is that the fault of the US?
TaiwanIsNotChina
They are not an excuse for war like russia claims.
Countries need to show their independence from the US on token votes. It's understandable.
But the thing being "condemned" is nowhere near as heinous as a violation of a countries territorial integrity. Not really a condemnation with this vote.
Yes, I'm sure it almost makes you feel like russia isn't an international pariah.
An blockade is blocking other people's stuff from reaching a country. Has never happened with Cuba with the exception of weapons in the Cuban Missile Crisis and you don't need weapons to survive.
deanzaZZR
Viva Cuba Libre!
TaiwanIsNotChina
Sounds like they are vivaing in the dark these days.
JJE
Still more UN condemnation that certain other actions.
theFu
There is no blockade to Cuba. There was once, when Soviet nuclear missiles were being transported there in the early 1960s. Cuba can do business with any country they like, just not the USA.
I fail to see how that matters much. The solution is simple, a democratic, multi-party, govt for Cuba. You know, elections that have many parties, perhaps a parliamentary governing group elected by the people.
TaiwanIsNotChina
The anti-US resolution doesn't use the word condemn. The rightful calling out of russia's disgraces does. Simple as.