The UN General Assembly met today to discuss agenda item #28, Cuba’s call for the “necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba imposed by the United States.” Since the United States objected to the meeting even taking place, a vote was taken which resulted in 136 in favor, 9 against and 60 abstentions.
Not surprising was the universal support expressed for Cuba from the nations of the Global Majority, whether from spokesmen for regional organizations— the G77 + China, ASEAN, the Group of Friends for Defense of the UN Charter, the Caribbean Community, the Africa Group, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)—or individual national representatives who expressed support for those organizations. Many African representatives were among the latter group.
U.S. isolation in this setting was obvious. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, who can hardly be called a diplomat, put on a shameful display of thuggery and threats, screaming “this is not Havana” to Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.
“We will not be silenced like your own people.” Waltz yelled that Cuba’s problems are of its own making; the corrupt, thieving regime is at fault, it steals from its own people so it should stop lying that the U.S. blockade is the problem. Everything it says is “fake news.”
Minister Rodriguez twice interrupted Waltz on a point of order, charging that a speech so filled with insults and grossness was totally inappropriate in a hall as distinguished and democratic as the UN General Assembly. Waltz, he said, “is a liar.” Waltz disgustingly shot back, “The truth hurts, doesn’t it?”
In his speech, Rodriguez went through many details on the U.S. blockade, and particularly “the energy siege” which the U.S. has imposed to prevent any oil shipments to Cuba. This, Rodriguez said, is “an act of genocide,” causing immense suffering, deprivation, energy blackouts, food and medicine shortages, as reported by the daily Granma.
He also reported details on the offensive the State Department had launched to prevent today’s meeting from taking place, with pressures, threats and blackmail applied to diplomats at the UN and elsewhere. The State Department advised all U.S. embassies to order their host governments not to support or attend today’s debate.
U.S. allies were instructed to attack Cuba in their speeches, charge it with corruption, incompetence and economic failure. To those who would support Cuba, the State Department threatened, “we will be listening to your speeches.” Pure thuggery.
Further strong support for Cuba came from allies Russia, its Minister of Internal Affairs, and from the Chinese ambassador, both of whom detailed the great harm done to the Cuban people by unilateral, extraterritorial sanctions which violate international law and UN Charter.
Minister Rodriguez ended today’s debate, with the final word, holding up a series of photographs, reminding member nations that it was the U.S. that bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, showing photos of a darkened Cuba, where doctors perform operations with cell phone flashlights, where humanitarian aid is delivered by carts pulled by oxen, ending with pictures of ICE in the U.S. which arrested immigrants, including five-year-old children.
The United States is a nation of “illegal institutional corruption” that is threatening military aggression against Cuba, which, if carried out, “would cause a bloodbath.”
