India Votes At UN Against US To End Embargo On Cuba
NEW YORK, NY-India on October 28 reiterated its opposition to laws that “adversely affect the sovereignty” of other countries as it voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for an end to the US economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba.
Soumya Nair, a counsellor in India’s UN Mission, said New Delhi supported the Assembly’s call on all countries to reject “laws and regulations with extraterritorial effects that adversely affect the sovereignty of other states and the progress and prosperity of their peoples”.
Addressing the Assembly ahead of the vote, Nair said India reiterated its call on all states to refrain from introducing and applying such laws and measures, and to repeal and invalidate them in accordance with their obligations under the UN Charter and international law.
The resolution was adopted with 130 votes in favor, 17 against and 25 abstentions.
India also expressed hope that the embargo would be lifted at the earliest, allowing Cuba to participate more fully in international cooperation and pursue its development goals.
Nair highlighted the impact of the restrictions on the Cuban population, saying the country’s health system faced shortages of more than 60 per cent of essential medicines, while food production had declined by more than 50 per cent over the past five years.
Recently tightened restrictions on fuel exports to Cuba had also disrupted essential services, including healthcare, education, water supplies, food distribution and transportation, she said.
The vote followed a dramatic confrontation in the General Assembly chamber on Oct. 27, when Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla approached the dais to confront US Permanent Representative Mike Waltz while he was speaking. Assembly President Khalilur Rahman briefly suspended the proceedings to restore order.
The dispute continued the next day when Waltz announced that the US had expelled Richard Tur de la Concepcion, first secretary of Cuba’s UN Mission, over allegations that he had physically clashed with a US diplomat during the October 27 confrontation.
“If you lay a hand on an American diplomat in this body, there will be consequences,” Waltz said.
“That so-called diplomat today will be put on a plane back to Havana,” he added. Waltz did not identify the diplomat in his remarks, but Cuba subsequently identified him.
The confrontation occurred as Waltz was speaking about alleged corruption among Cuba’s leaders.
UN Safety and Security personnel were deployed in greater numbers than usual following the incident.
Reaffirming India’s position, Nair said the country believed international challenges were best addressed through dialogue and diplomacy in accordance with the UN Charter.
“India’s commitment to multilateralism is rooted in our belief that international challenges are best addressed through dialogue and diplomacy in accordance with the UN Charter,” she said. (IANS)
