UNGA Condemns US Embargo Against Cuba

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2013-10-30

For the 22nd year in a row, the United Nations General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to condemn the United States' economic embargo against Cuba.

One-hundred-and-88 countries voted for the non-binding resolution Tuesday. Only the United States and Israel voted no. Three countries abstained.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Cuba "poses no threat to the national security of the superpower." He says the embargo has cost the Cuban economy more than $1 trillion.

American diplomat Ronald Godard defended the embargo as one tool in the overall efforts to encourage respect for human rights. He said Cuba is using the U.S. as a scapegoat for its problems.

The United States imposed the embargo on Cuba in 1960, shortly after Fidel Castro took power and seized U.S.-owned assets on the island.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said condemning the embargo hides the fact that the United States is committed to remaining a leading supplier of food and humanitarian aid to Cuba.

Source: Voice of America

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