Ambassadors address
General Assembly

Jorge Valero, Venezuelan ambassador to the United Nations, demanded this Tuesday that the United States respect the appeal by the peoples of the world, united in this body, to put an end to its blockade of Cuba.

"Mr. President, is the imperial government of the United States going to continue disregarding the wishes of the General Assembly, which has repeatedly condemned the blockade of our sister country, the Republic of Cuba?" Valero asked emphatically in his comments during the UN session in New York.

The ambassador said that his country firmly supports "the resolution presented by our sister country, the Republic of Cuba, in which the suspension of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba is once again demanded."

Venezuela's contribution to the discussion came after representatives from Egypt and Yemen, speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 (G77) plus China respectively, and Brazil, on behalf of MERCOSUR, likewise rejected the U.S. measure against the Cuban people.

Many were moved by the words of Maged Abdelaziz, the Egyptian ambassador who ended his remarks to the General Assembly by stating in Spanish, "End the blockade now," according to DPA, the news agency which also reported the support of Iran, Russia and many African countries for the elimination of the coercive sanctions against Cuba.

The news service Xinhua highlighted the comments made by Baso Sangqu, South African representative to the international body, who stated that for his country the blockade, "constitutes a violation of international law and its imposition demonstrates a lack of respect for the noble and essential principles conceived in the Magna Carta of the United Nations."

"South Africa calls upon the United States to end its unilateral isolation of Cuba."

"We demand, moreover, speedy action to dismantle the unjust sanctions against Cuba, he stated."

Translated by Granma International