By Zoila Palma: The United States and Cuba exchanged accusations at the United Nations on Monday following a US-hosted event featuring Cuban dissidents ahead of an upcoming vote on a resolution calling for an end to Washington’s trade embargo against the island.
Tensions escalated when Cuban Ambassador to the UN Ernesto Soberón Guzmán and other Cuban representatives confronted US Ambassador Mike Waltz as he left the event, which focused on alleged human rights abuses by the Cuban government.
According to Reuters, Waltz accused Cuban diplomats of harassing and intimidating former political prisoners and other attendees during the gathering in New York. He also criticized the Cuban government for allegedly using the annual UN resolution to justify its policies and the hardships experienced by its population.
The vote on the non-binding resolution is expected to take place on October 27-28.
The resolution has passed by wide margins in the UN General Assembly every year since 1992, although only the US Congress has the authority to lift the embargo.
The dispute comes as Washington increases pressure on Cuba, which has faced a US trade embargo for more than 60 years.
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