Overwhelming vote against US blockade

Issue 

For the third consecutive year, on October 26 the United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution demanding that the United States end its "embargo" (really a blockade) against Cuba. Only the US and Israel voted against the resolution. After the vote, the following statement was issued by a spokesperson of the Cuban Interests Section in the US.

The General Assembly of the United Nations voted today, October 26, 1994, a Resolution condemning the US blockade against Cuba, by an overwhelming majority.

The Resolution, presented by the Cuban Permanent Mission in New York, was approved by 101 votes in favour, 48 abstentions and only two negative votes: United States and Israel.

This is the third time that a similar resolution has been approved by the UN. Last year the votes were 88 in favour, 57 abstentions and four negative: United States, Israel, Paraguay and Albania. In 1992 it was 59 in favour, 71 abstentions and three against: United States, Israel and Romania.

Those votes show the isolation of the United States Government on the issue of the blockade. The international community unmistakably has expressed to the US government that the policy it has been following towards Cuba is an outdated reminiscence of the Cold War, that it has failed in its aim to destroy the Cuban Revolution and that now it is causing suffering to the Cuban people.

Once again reason has prevailed. At a time when most of the conflicts all over the world are being solved by means of negotiations, the United States should listen to the international community and resort to negotiations to settle its differences with the Cuban Government.

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