182 countries vote against the blockade in the UN

Granma International

The blockade is an economic war applied at global level

• Speech by Felipe Pérez Roque, minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Cuba, under Issue 18 on the agenda of the General Assembly titled The Need to End the Economic, Commercial and Financial Blockade imposed on Cuba by the United States of America

Mr. President:

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen:

Today is a day of special importance for the United Nations. By voting on the 14th occasion for a resolution presented by Cuba, titled: The Need to end the Economic, Commercial and Financial Blockade imposed by the United States of America on Cuba, the General Assembly will not only be deciding on an issue of interest to Cuba. We will also be voting for the principles and regulations of international law, against the extraterritorial application of laws and in defense of the human rights of the Cuban people, the American people and the people of the 191 nations represented in this Assembly.

It is true that the U.S. government has ignored the reiterated and almost unanimous demands of the international community and it is certain that President Bush will even further intensify the blockade, already the longest and cruelest in history. But that does not diminish the extreme political, moral, ethical and juridical importance of this vote.

Never before has the blockade been applied with such viciousness and brutality as in the last 18 months. Never before has a U.S. government persecuted so cruelly and mercilessly the economy and right of the Cuban people to a dignified and decent life.

From May 6, 2004, when the U.S. president signed his new annexation plan for Cuba, there has been a hysterical and unprecedented escalation in the application of new and aggressive measures, including the threat of using military force against Cuba and the persecution not only of Cuban citizens and businesses, but also those of the United States and the rest of the world.

Thus, in May of 2004, a fine of $100 million was imposed on the Swiss UBS Bank, the heaviest fine ever levied against a bank institution for supposedly violating the blockade of Cuba.

On September 30, 2004, at the height of madness and absurdity, the so-called Cuban Assets Control Regulations were intensified, and it was established that citizens or permanent residents of the United States may not legally purchase products of Cuban origin in a third country, including tobacco and alcohol, and not even for their personal use abroad. The legal sanctions for these violations could reach $1 million in fines for corporations and $250,000 in fines and up to 10 years’ imprisonment for individuals. It would be the only time in history that smoking a Cuban cigar or buying a bottle of the incomparable Havana Club rum would be prohibited to an American, including if it is purchased as part of a tourist trip to another country. When it comes to craziness, this draconian ban should be registered in the Guinness Book of Records.

On October 9, 2004, in an unprecedented act of aggression in the history of international financial relations, the U.S. State Department announced the establishment of a "Cuban Asset Targeting Group." Just the existence of this Group with that name should shame the president of the most powerful nation on Earth.

In January of 2005, the Office of Foreign Assets Control reinterpreted the regulations on travel in such a way that U.S. citizens are no longer permitted to participate in meetings in Cuba sponsored or organized by United Nations agencies based in the United States, unless they first obtain a license from the U.S. government.

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Heil Cuba haha

I don't like the Cuban government. I hate the fact that the people do not have basic civil rights.

Having said that, I am against the Cuban embargo. I think it is counterproductive, helping to keep Castro in power.

If the embargo was ended the average Cubans would soon see how the rest of the world, and mainly their neighbor just to the north lives. They would see the difference between their freedoms and those of their fellow Cubans living in the United States. If that happened Castro's regime wouldnn't last too much longer.

Now if only Cuba was more brutal in their political repression and censorship and produced cheap plastic crap for Walmart and Dollar stores then the US could trade with them...

maybe if we stopped the embargo we could load a '57 Chevy pontoon raft with 500lb guerilla and Deepest red and shove em offt towards mother Cuba. I am sure Uncle Fidel would be waiting for them with open arms.

What have you got against the Cuban people that you would wish those two on them?

Maybe if I made stupid comments about other posters that have nothing to do with the discussion righties would respond to my posts...

Originally posted by 500lbguerilla
Now if only Cuba was more brutal in their political repression and censorship and produced cheap plastic crap for Walmart and Dollar stores then the US could trade with them...

You're right, actually. The US governement offered to trade with Cuba and lift the embargo, if Cuba would only privatize and give up the gains of the revolution. No dice. :cool:

You mean they would have had to have given up all those 1955 Chevys.

Originally posted by Frogger
You mean they would have had to have given up all those 1955 Chevys.

They could probably live without those. But not the education and especially not the most effective health care system in the world.

Originally posted by Deepest Red
But not the education and especially not the most effective health care system in the world.
Well then it doesn't sound to me like they need the ban lifted at all - they're doing much better than we are.

On the other hand, if we lift the ban, then I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they actually produce something of value. :thumbs:

With the embargo, Cuba has been a hell of a lot more efficient than one may think. Without the embargo, it may not be long before they reach first world status. I don't think the US would be able to cope with that.
However, the embargo must be lifted before Castro dies, his heir is a fucking million times worse than he is and Cuba might turn into a rogue state. Lift the embargo and as for the rest of Castro's life his power might slip away from him and back into the people's hands and they'll keep their outstanding social accomplishments and at the same time gain political freedoms. I don't think Castro would allow enough power into the hands of his heir to prevent the slippage of the dictatorship and we'll have on our hands a successful free socialist state.
Oh, and by the way, Cuba has a better human rights record in recent years than the US. It wasn't until recently they used the death penalty(after a couple decades of not executing or torturing a single individual) against terrorists that were suspected to be trained by the CIA. Not that the execution was a good thing, but other than political rights, human rights are doing quite well in Cuba.

Ok now I get to piss everyone or most of you off.

I dont care about Castro, I wouldnt care if he came across on a boat himself and asked for asylum. What I do care about is security and by keeping them weaker we do provide a little security. If he cant trade openly it is harder to make better weapons and thats good for us and esp. Florida.

Maybe we should just load up the troops in Gitmo and release the prisoners there into Cuba, then we could attack and control the country.

And for those who dont know me, I dont shake to easy and throwing some generic far left diatribe at me wont work.

I don't really care about Castro either. I don't care to make this country safer either. My short stint in the Air Force let me know that protecting America is a pretty lousy, thankless proposition. Someone's gotta do it though, and I am so glad we have folks like you here doing it for us.

I don't really feel too threatened by Castro, the same way I never felt threatened by Saddam Hussein. He is in charge of a backwards, agricultural nation. Other than funding terrorism, something any two-bit millionaire can do, there just ain't much Castro can do that will impact America at all.

What I do care about though, is all those kids in Cuba who are starving right now because the Americans won't allow food, drugs, and supplies into Cuba to allow them to live. This brutal policy has been in place for longer than any other blockade in the history of trade, and continues for no other stated reason than to keep people like you feeling a little safer. Be honest with yourself, when is the last time you lost sleep because the big bad Fidel Castro is gonna come to get you and your family?

Your entire position boils down to, "We need to do this because I think it will make us a little safer." Nobody really knows. We could open the economic floodgates and the Cubans might just revolt and toss Castro out of office, screaming, "We want our Coca-Cola and Nike!" They certainly aren't doing it now. Cubans love Castro more than ever.

It isn't surprising to me that you have such a narrow view of how the world works, after all, you are a vet, and the military doesn't exactly encourage critical thinking; but come on now, surely a smart guy like you can come up with something a little better than that. Use that noggin!

I'm sorry if this isn't the generic far-left diatribe you are looking for, but what the hell. I enjoy a good challenge, and I've been shutting people up and making people look stupid here ever since I joined. Not that I think it'll do any good, mind you, I just enjoy the game. Looking forward to playing with you.