CARIBBEAN SPLIT OVER CUBA AT UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The Caribbean divide was noticeably wide at the United Nations this week as Cuba submitted a motion for a debate about American sanctions and wider policies against the communist-run island.

While some regional statutes supported the Cuban initiative, now an annual exercise at the UN, a combination of abstentions and absences marked the stance taken by others.

The vote in favour of the debate was eventually carried by a large margin, but with a significant number against.

136 UN member nations voted in favour, 30 abstained or were otherwise absent, and nine voted against.

Caribbean countries that voted in favour were: Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent, and Suriname. Those which abstained were Grenada and Trinidad & Tobago. Regional countries absent from the vote were: Antigua & Barbuda, the Dominican Republic, and Guyana.

The outcome of the vote is seen as reflecting the positions taken by several regional countries that are presently engaged in delicate negotiations with the United States over various issues. These include accepting third-country national(TCN) deportees from the US, tightened American visa restrictions, and individual countries’ relations with Cuba and how that aligns with the Trump administration’s tough stance towards the island’s government.

Tuesday’s overwhelming majority vote in the UN General Assembly came at Cuba’s request for a debate against the continuing decades-long United States sanctions on the country. The Cuban government says the current phase of sanctions is particularly crippling, with wide-ranging impacts across all sectors of society, affecting the provision of essential services and pushing the Cuban economy to the brink of collapse.

The United States government has blamed the Cuban government for the state of affairs in the country.

In a statement during the UN General Assembly session, the US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, said, despite talk of a blackout, “there always seems to be enough power for the Cuban dictatorship”.

He accused the Cuban government of “spreading lies” and said: “Change your ways. Turn the lights back on for your people.”

There was a tense exchange on the floor of the UN General Assembly with the Cuban representative, Foreign Minister Bruno Padilla, who accused the US official of “lying” and blamed the US for the worsening crisis conditions in the country.

Other notable positions adopted on Cuba’s request for the debate included the United Kingdom supporting Cuba by voting in favour of the debate, Canada abstaining, and Venezuela being absent. The United States voted against the motion.