UN votes to condemn embargo of Cuba despite US lobbying push
The United Nations General Assembly has voted to condemn the United States' economic embargo of Cuba, with 130 countries supporting the resolution despite intense US lobbying to peel off support.
The resolution passed on Wednesday with 130 countries in favor and 17 opposed, including the US and Israel. Another 25 countries abstained, including Germany and Italy that had previously voted in favor. The General Assembly has condemned the embargo annually for over three decades.
The US embargo on Cuba, part of an effort to isolate the country lasting more than six decades, has been widely condemned on the world stage and linked to worsening hardship on the island. President Trump's administration implemented additional economic restrictions, including an energy blockade, to further tighten the screws.
US isolation campaign
The US diplomatic push to isolate Havana appears to be showing results in the form of increased abstentions. US officials claim this demonstrates their campaign is slowly succeeding.
Cuban response
Cuban officials accused the US of threatening countries with tariffs, visa restrictions and other penalties if they voted to condemn the embargo. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez commented on the vote through social media.
The US was once again isolated in its attempt to continue strangling the Cuban people. Neither its most insane pretexts nor its pressures nor media circus will prevail over the force of facts and truth.
Diplomatic incident
Tensions between US and Cuban officials escalated during a General Assembly debate on Tuesday, with both parties yelling at each other and engaging in an apparent shoving match. The following day, Waltz announced that Richard Tur de la Concepcion would be expelled from the US for 'assaulting an American diplomat'.
Related
