For the 11th time: the UN votes in favor of ending blockade on Cuba
November 12, 2002. UNITED NATIONS (PL).- On Tuesday, November 12, the United Nations General Assembly clearly and overwhelmingly pronounced in favor of ending the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba.
For the 11th time, the UN’s most representative body adopted a resolution on the issue with 173 countries in favor and three against (the United States, Israel and the Marshall Islands). Nicaragua, Uzbekistan, Ethiopia and Malawi abstained.
The voting reflects the ever-increasing international repudiation of the U. S. policy of harassment toward Cuba, taking into consideration last year’s figures when 167 countries voted in favor, considered at the time to be the highest number of votes since debates on the subject began in 1992. The text recalls the declarations made by the heads of state and government at the Ibero-American Summit on the need to end the unilateral application of economic and trade measures against other states that affect the free development of international trade.
In the very next line it expressed concern over the spread and application of laws and provisions such as the 1996 Helms-Burton law, whose extraterritorial effects affect the sovereignty of other states, the legitimate interests of organizations or persons under its jurisdiction, and the freedom to trade and navigate.
The executive body reiterates previous calls to all states to abstain from promulgating and applying laws and measures such as the afore-mentioned Helms-Burton, in fulfillment of their obligations with the UN Charter and international law.
It once again urges states that are continuing to apply existing legislation and measures of this type to repeal or neutralize them in the shortest possible time, and in accordance with their legal machinery. It calls on the UN secretary general to prepare a report on the fulfillment of the resolution adopted and present it to the General Assembly in its next session.
Thus, it notes, the theme: «The need to end the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba,» is to be placed on that agenda.
The proposal finally adopted was presented by Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada, president of the Cuban National Assembly of People’s Power. Representatives from Mexico, China, Viet Nam, Venezuela, Laos, Sudan, Togo, Myanmar, Zambia, Jamaica (on behalf of the Caribbean Community- CARICOM), and Belarus also spoke in favor of the resolution at the plenary session.
Namibia, Tanzania, Iraq, Libya, Zimbabwe, Syria, Japan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark (on behalf of the European Union), the Russian Federation and Australia also expressed their support for the resolution.