In a first, US abstains from voting on UN’s Cuba resolution

Marking a significant shift in stance, the US for the first time abstained from voting on a UN resolution that underlined the need to end the trade embargo imposed by America against Cuba, a move welcomed by India and others.

In a near unanimous action, the General Assembly on Wednesday adopted the resolution, in which India along with 190 other countries voted in favour, while the US, which had been opposing it for 25 years, cast an abstention along with Israel.  

“For more than 50 years, the United States had a policy aimed at isolating the government of Cuba. For roughly half of those years, UN Member States have voted overwhelmingly for a General Assembly resolution that condemns the US embargo and calls for it to be ended. The United States has always voted against this resolution. Today the US will abstain,” said US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power at the meeting of the Cuba embargo.

She said the US policy of isolation toward Cuba was not working and instead of isolating Cuba “our policy isolated the United States. Including right here at the United Nations”.

Power, however, added that abstaining on the resolution did not mean the US agrees with all of the policies and practices of the Cuban government. 

“We are profoundly concerned by the serious human rights violations that the Cuban government continues to commit with impunity against its own people including arbitrarily detaining those who criticize the government; threatening, intimidating, and, at times, physically assaulting citizens who take part in peaceful marches and meetings; and severely restricting the access that people on the island have to outside information,” she said.