On Cuba Embargo, It’s the U.S. and Israel Against the World — Again
A little-known former American ambassador on Tuesday addressed the General Assembly to perform a dreaded task: defending the issue that has isolated the United States diplomatically like no other, the Cuban embargo.
“This resolution only serves to distract from the real problems facing the Cuban people,” Ronald D. Godard admonished, before the United States voted against a non-binding resolution submitted yearly by Havana calling for a repeal of the sanctions Washington has imposed on the island for more than five decades.
Only Israel sided with the United States, although the Israelis were happy to forgo a turn at the podium to defend their position. Of the 193 members of the United Nations, 188 backed Cuba. The three abstentions — Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau — are not widely regarded as diplomatic heavyweights.
The yearly vote, which usually goes largely unnoticed in the United States, is worth paying close attention to this year. Under growing pressure from neighboring countries to normalize relations with Cuba, the White House is considering what steps it might be able to take in that direction during President Obama’s remaining time in office.
Cuba has been sending increasingly clear signals that it wants a rapprochement. In his speech to the General Assembly on Tuesday, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla called for a new era in bilateral relations.
“We invite the government of the United States to establish a mutually respectful relation, based on reciprocity,” he said. “We can live and deal with each other in a civilized way, despite our differences.”
more...
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/28/on-cuba-embargo-its-the-u-s-and-israel-against-the-world-again/
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Judi Lynn
(160,554 posts)UN nations urge US to end Cuba embargo, for 23rd time
Latest update : 2014-10-28
The UN General Assembly on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly for the 23rd time to condemn the decades-long US economic embargo against Cuba, with many nations praising the island state for its response in fighting the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa.
In the 193-nation assembly, 188 countries voted for the nonbinding resolution, titled “Necessity of Ending the Economic, Commercial and Financial Embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.”
As in previous years, the only countries that voted against the declaration were the United States and an ally, Israel. The Pacific island nations Palau, Marshall Islands and Micronesia abstained. The voting result was identical to last year’s.
In a speech on the U.N. podium, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez appealed to the United States to change course on an embargo he said has caused great harm to the people of Cuba and caused cumulative economic damage amounting to more than $1 trillion.
“We invite the government of the United States to establish mutually respectful relations,” Rodriguez said. “We can try to find a solution to our differences through respectful dialogue. “We can live and deal with each other in a civilized way despite our differences,” he said. “Cuba will never relinquish our sovereignty.”
More:
http://www.france24.com/en/20141028-un-urge-end-us-embargo-cuba-23rd-time-israel/
Judi Lynn
(160,554 posts)October 29, 2014
It Must End
Death, Taxes and the Cuban Blockade
by MATT PEPPE
The famous expression about the only things that will happen with absolute certainty, death and taxes, is actually missing one: the annual vote in which 99% of the world’s nations declare that the blockade against Cuba is illegal and must end. Yesterday, for the 23rd straight year, the United Nations General Assembly voted to end the U.S. blockade against Cuba by the astounding margin of 188 to 2. The annual resolution may seem like mere political theater meant to embarrass the U.S. government, but in reality it is a sincere objection to an inhumane policy.
Washington will now ignore this resounding rejection, as it always does, and and go on breaking the law with impunity since there is nothing anyone can do to stop them. Don Corleone would be envious of their gall.
Since the last vote against the blockade, it was revealed that the top 10 recipients of U.S. aid all practice torture. During the last year, at least half of these allies have reportedly tortured people on a “massive scale.” This doesn’t even include the U.S.’s close ally Saudi Arabia, who in the last year has beheaded 59 people and sentenced a popular activist to death by crucifiction.
The lone supporter of the blockade, Israel, even tortures Palestinian children, who make up several hundred of the more than 5,000 prisoners held in military custody. All of Israel’s colonial subjects are subjected to “slow-motion genocide” and collective punishment.
More:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/10/29/death-taxes-and-the-cuban-blockade/
