
Montevideo, Oct 30 (Prensa Latina) The United Nations vote rejecting the blockade against Cuba sends an overwhelming message in defense of international law and multilateralism, said Lissett Pérez, the Cuban ambassador to Uruguay, here today.
“The most important thing about the UN vote is the overwhelming support of the international community for Cuba,” he told Diario La R.
He argued that the support from 130 countries occurred in a context of strong pressure exerted by Washington and a media manipulation campaign aimed at blaming the Cuban government for the economic and social difficulties facing his country.
“It was in the context of the most brutal pressures, of personal calls from Marco Rubio (Secretary of State) to each president, prime minister of the Caribbean,” he said.
The diplomat noted that the vote should also be interpreted as a defense of the rules governing international relations. In that regard, she highlighted the interventions of the countries that spoke on behalf of regional groups and organizations.
In this regard, he valued Uruguay’s intervention during the debate, representing the Group of 77 and China, of which the South American country holds the pro tempore presidency.
“In that capacity, he spoke and gathered the sentiments of the G77 group,” he explained.
The ambassador also recalled that President Yamando Orsi had included a reference to the rejection of the blockade during his speech at the general debate of the United Nations General Assembly in September.
He indicated that 43 other countries addressed the issue at that time.
For Pérez, the continuity of these pronouncements demonstrates that the issue maintains a significant presence on the international agenda, beyond the political differences between governments.
“There is an economic and multidimensional war being waged against Cuba,” the diplomat denounced.
He explained that the US prohibitions are not limited to bilateral trade, but also extend to banks, shipping companies, companies from third countries, tour operators and individuals who maintain ties with the island.
“What they want is to disconnect Cuba, not only from the economy, as they have been doing, but also from solidarity, from that international message that this policy is rejected,” he remarked.
He also referred to the extraterritorial consequences of the blockade affecting countries and entities. “This is not a bilateral issue; this is everyone’s issue,” he stated.
He stressed that his country’s inclusion on the US list of state sponsors of terrorism exacerbates the difficulties of operating within the international banking system.
“We are almost out of the banking system,” he declared.
Pérez noted that the US measures also affect Cuban private businesses that had managed to establish commercial or financial ties with foreign companies.
This situation limits the ability to import supplies, access providers, and maintain business operations. Added to this are the difficulties in contracting maritime transport services and finalizing purchases abroad.
All of this is intended to subject the Cuban people to all kinds of deprivations and to provoke a social explosion on the island, he warned.
“Cuba is not a threat to anyone’s national security,” the ambassador stated, refuting Washington’s justification for the unprecedented tightening of the blockade against the neighboring small country.
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