A Cuban cause that keeps the world united 

Photo: Illustration 

This is the thirty-second time that Cuba achieves the feat of uniting the world, in the midst of a convulsive international panorama, mediated by wars with no end in sight, and as part of which many governments are intimidated by the United States, whose administration insists on commanding, by means of all kinds of tactics, the destinies of the planet.There is something incredible in the certainty that, for more than six decades, the U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba has been maintained as part of its hostile policy aimed at those whose destinies differ from submission to its maneuvers. In those long years, the material damage caused to the island is equivalent to 1,499 billion dollars.But it is even more worthy of science fiction that, during half that time, most of the nations of the world have demanded the cessation of this asphyxiating measure and nothing has been achieved, before the incredulous gaze of an international community that finds it increasingly difficult to believe in the good will of the United States.Yesterday and today, 193 countries are voting in the United Nations General Assembly on draft Resolution a/79/80 "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the US against Cuba," presented by the member of the Political Bureau and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.A SAD REALITYThis Monday, from 10:00 a.m., the voice of seven major political and regional groups was heard at the United Nations headquarters in New York.The statement of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), composed of ten countries; the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), with 57 nations in four continents; the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, with its 18 member states; and the African Group, with its 55.On behalf of the Community of Latin American States (Celac), the representative of Honduras regretted that the blockade is still a reality for Cuba, which constitutes the main obstacle for normal development.At the same time, he firmly pointed out that this unilateral measure is contrary to the desires for peace of Latin Americans and Caribbeans, embodied in the proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace, and the disagreement with our inclusion in the arbitrary list of sponsors of terrorism, which, "besides being unfounded, has reinforced the intimidating effect associated with the blockade and undermines the possibilities of establishing financial relations with international partners," he said.On behalf of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), the representative of Grenada denounced the illegitimacy of the blockade as a unilateral measure without justification and reiterated to the US that the principles stipulated in the United Nations Charter continue to be pillars of civilized society and, therefore, should be equally respected by all member states.On behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the Ugandan Foreign Minister sent all his solidarity to the people of Cuba, in view of the energy crisis they are currently experiencing, and recalled the serious effects on the banking sector, which is unable to carry out international transactions that are normal in the daily life of the rest of the planet."The blockade is the main obstacle to greater access to the Internet and to the development of scientific relations. It does not correspond to our historical ties," he said.On behalf of the G77 and China, the Iraqi diplomat regretted the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on the island for more than 60 years, and expressed his concern about the extension of the Helms-Burton Act.He considered that the economic actions should be revoked immediately, as they have caused direct and indirect damage to the island's economy.LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN UNITEDDuring these more than three decades of raising their voices at the UN, the speeches of the representatives of Latin America and the Caribbean tend to be very emotional.The common reality, the shared experiences as countries of the South and the similar pressures felt from the U.S. provoke that sense of communion in the speeches.At the beginning of the debate in New York, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Mauro Vieira, made it clear how much the blockade has affected the most vulnerable in Cuba by directly disrupting access to basic services in the country.For his part, the representative of Mexico, Héctor Vasconcelos, recalled that his government "considers that the restriction of exports, the elimination of certain commercial benefits, the hindering of the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the obstacles to obtaining credits from international financial institutions are all unjustifiable and unjust measures that should be suspended," he pointed out.Meanwhile, the Chancellor of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Yván Gil, reaffirmed that the blockade represents a punishment against Cubans who have decided not to bow to the blackmail of the U.S. government. His unwavering solidarity with the island was visible on the podium.CHINA AND RUSSIA: THE WORLD'S COUNTERWEIGHTSIn today's world, the Chinese representative noted, developing countries face difficulties in achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; however, the US continues to adopt measures in which it resorts to the abusive use of unilateral sanctions, undermining international consensuses and threatening the right to development."Blockades cannot crush the wishes of the peoples," he said, while referring that consecutive votes are a fair call of the international community that must be respected.Meanwhile, the representative of the Russian Federation, on behalf of the Group of Friends in defense of the United Nations Charter, expressed that "Cuba does not constitute a threat to the security of the United States, nor of its citizens", and described the blockade as useless, "since it constitutes a vestige of the Cold War".The international community, which this Wednesday continues its debates and will vote, reaffirmed its defense of Cuba, which deserves to be freed from the chains of the blockade.

COUNTRIES WITH POSITIONS IN FAVOR OF CUBA (on Tuesday)

1. Brazil

2. Singapore (Asean)

3. Cameroon (Organization of Islamic Cooperation)

4. Honduras (Celac)

5. Eritrea (Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations)

6. Uganda (Mnoal)

7. Iraq (G77 and China)

8. Chad (African Group)

9. Grenada (Caricom)

10. Dominica

11. Philippines

12. Vietnam

13. Venezuela

14. Mexico

15. Namibia

16. St. Vincent and the Grenadines

17. Algeria

18. Belarus

19. Trinidad and Tobago

20. Saint Lucia

21. Malaysia

22. Cambodia

23. Ethiopia

24. South Africa

25. People's Republic of China

26. Guyana

27. Russian Federation

28. Zimbabwe

29. Syria

30. Equatorial Guinea