By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: Cuba hopes Qatar will again support its UN draft resolution calling for an end to the Cold War era embargo imposed by the US, Cuban Ambassador to Qatar Ernesto D Plasencia Escalante said yesterday.
“Cuba will submit on October 27, a draft resolution at the UN General Assembly titled Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the USA against Cuba,” he said.
In the past, all UN member-states, including Qatar voted in favour of this resolution, which the envoy said “almost the entire international community recognised and supported the struggle of the Cuban people to lift the blockade.”
“State of Qatar has been traditionally always supportive. They have voted in favour of all Cuban resolutions. Like every year, we have presented the draft resolution to the Qatari officials here and in the UN. I hope Qatar will vote for the Cuban resolution on lifting the embargo,” he added.
Escalante said that apart from the US, Israel and some islands in the Pacific, the entire world supported Cuba in its stance at the United Nations.
Cuba and the United States restored diplomatic relations on July 20, which had been severed in 1961 during the Cold War. US diplomatic representation in Cuba is handled by the United States Embassy in Havana, and there is a similar Cuban Embassy in Washington, DC. The United States, however, continues to maintain its commercial, economic, and financial embargo, which makes it illegal for US corporations to do business with Cuba, although the US President, Barack Obama, has called for the ending of the embargo but US law requires congressional approval to end the embargo.
“The new draft resolution that we will present takes into account the new bilateral circumstances between Cuba and the United states, welcoming the re-establishment of diplomatic relations and recognising the willingness expressed by the US president to work for the lifting of the blockade,” said Escalante.
“The blockade should be removed at the congress, if not lift the embargo, at least should be eased,” he added.
According to the envoy, after five decades of blockade, his country has suffered huge financial losses.
The Peninsula
