Cuba Forces 34th UN Vote on US Embargo as Pressure Mounts
“They are trying to change historical positions at gunpoint,” Cuba’s UN ambassador, Ernesto Soberon, said, according to the radio station. He accused Washington of leaning on other countries ahead of the ballot.
The vote will be the 34th time Havana has taken the measure to the General Assembly since 1992.
Soberon said the US State Department, Washington’s UN mission and American embassies worldwide have moved to erode the traditional backing the Cuban resolution enjoys.
He said the vote arrives as Washington intensifies pressure on the island, including energy restrictions and sanctions aimed at third countries. He also blamed the embargo for extended blackouts and for difficulty obtaining medicine, food and drinking water.
The measure, titled “Necessity of Ending the Economic, Commercial and Financial Blockade Imposed by the United States of America against Cuba,” urges the removal of US restrictions on the island.
The resolution is nonbinding. The General Assembly has no power to force Washington to lift the embargo, which remains a matter of US jurisdiction.
The embargo has stood for more than six decades. It was formally established in February 1962 under then-President John F. Kennedy.
At last year’s General Assembly session, official figures show the resolution drew 165 votes in favor, seven against and 12 abstentions.
This year’s vote comes as Cuba grapples with a severe economic crisis marked by fuel shortages, power outages and limited access to essential goods.
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