For the first time, Cuba has requested that item 38 of the UN agenda, entitled "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba," be brought to an urgent debate at the UN.
The Cuban delegation, headed by Political Bureau member and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, will present a report to the General Assembly on the gravity of the situation facing the country due to the intensification of the blockade and energy embargo imposed on the island by the Trump administration.
MAIN IDEAS OF THE CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ON THE URGENCY OF THIS DEBATE
The aggressive actions of the U.S. government against Cuba include threats of direct military aggression, in violation of international law and international and regional peace and security.
The current energy embargo, along with other measures that have intensified the blockade, constitute an act of genocide, also classified as collective punishment and a violation of the human rights of Cubans and international humanitarian law.
These acts cause increasing damage, deprivation, and suffering to the Cuban people.
The accumulated damages caused by this policy are in the order of 170 billion dollars, not including the humanitarian damage.
The suffering, deprivation, anguish, blackouts, and difficulties in obtaining food and medicine cannot be quantified. The human damage is incalculable.
This is a threat to the existence and well-being of the Cuban people and the exercise of their human rights, and to regional peace, security, and stability.
It is a threat to any sovereign state that could be subjected to similarly aggressive and extraterritorial measures.
The multidimensional aggression against Cuba is already underway and intensifying. It is a crime against humanity in full swing.
This systemic aggression is reinforced by the use of monopolistic communication, digital, and media power to try to isolate and discredit Cuba, and to attempt to justify the crime that imperialism is committing against our people.
The State Department's diplomatic apparatus has tried to prevent the UN from considering this issue of global concern and enormous urgency by using pressure, blackmail, and threats.
U.S. ACTIONS TO SILENCE INTERNATIONAL DEBATE ON THE BLOCKADE
Publications and documents have exposed the State Department's narrative, articulated through the press, to prevent the debate scheduled for July 7th from taking place. This was complemented by an intense diplomatic effort to pressure governments and foreign ministries in an attempt to censor their voice and their right to speak out in favor of the well-being of the Cuban people.
1- The Nation published a revealing article exposing that the U.S. State Department, under instructions from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sent a diplomatic cable to its embassies to pressure governments and prevent the debate at the UN on the aggression against Cuba.
The cable instructs U.S. embassies to pressure their host countries to oppose the debate. Should the debate proceed, the U.S. asks its allies to attack Cuba in their speeches, accusing it of incompetence, corruption, and economic failure, and to avoid blaming the embargo for the crisis.
"To the Non-Aligned Movement, the United States demands that they 'refrain from issuing any statements' at the UN. And for countries that have traditionally supported Cuba, there is a clear warning: 'The United States will listen very carefully to your statements in the debate and will discourage the use of points that could create friction in our bilateral relations.'"
2- Clandestine documents that form the basis of the pressure:
"It’s time for change in Cuba." This document argues that Cuba is a direct threat to U.S. national security due to its support for hostile actors, terrorism, and regional instability, and it complements Executive Order 14404.
The first line states: "The regime must reform. Don’t vote for his propaganda." It also refers to the upcoming vote on the United Nations General Assembly resolution regarding the blockade of Cuba, which has consistently received overwhelming support from the majority of member states.
"Completely slanderous, dedicated to trying to portray Cuba as a belligerent party in the war taking place in Ukraine. Full of lies, without a single shred of evidence, without a single fact."
