The draft resolution, "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba," will be brought before the UN next week for the thirty-fourth time—this time, with two notable new features.
This was announced on Wednesday by Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, a member of the Political Bureau and Minister of Foreign Affairs, during a press conference for national and foreign media.
"What is new, unique, and extraordinary," he explained, "is that the General Assembly will, for the first time, be responding to a situation in which the blockade against Cuba has been tightened to an extreme degree."
The second new aspect, he noted, is a ruthless campaign by the United States government—specifically the State Department and the Secretary of State—to exert extreme pressure on numerous UN member states, aiming to force them to abandon the positions they have sovereignly maintained for decades.
Regarding these pressures, he stated that the Secretary of State is even involved personally—sometimes covertly, and at other times, publicly. "They have been at this for months," he affirmed.
POLITICAL VIOLENCE, COERCION, AND BLACKMAIL
In this regard, he presented an instruction from the State Department that asks governments not to vote in favor of "Cuban propaganda—as if the blockade and the resulting humanitarian harm were not part of a reality that no one can refute."
Rodríguez Parrilla denounced the document, stating that it "seeks to blame the Cuban government for the humanitarian harm caused by the blockade. This is by no means what the U.S. government typically calls 'collateral damage'; rather, it is planned, foreseen, and deliberately designed to destabilize the country by inflicting suffering upon families."
Furthermore, the released text insists that the blockade is legal and allows the island to trade with third countries.
A second document made public contains direct threats of sanctions. It urges the recipient—a high-ranking official—to carefully consider the matter, threatening the imposition of sanctions against their government or even against the individual personally.
A third "slanderous" document, which he also mentioned, attempts to use Cuba’s alleged involvement in the conflict in Ukraine as a pretext—a claim that the largest of the Antilles has repeatedly denied.
The pressure tactics employed by Washington in its bid to alter votes in favor of ending the blockade include the threat of imposing tariffs, the suspension of cooperation programs, the denial of visas to government officials and their family members, support for opposition forces against the respective governments, and the threat of inciting the overthrow of these governments through interference in their electoral processes.
The Foreign Minister also cited the threat to politically destabilize these countries; to act against the legitimate economic, financial, and investment interests of these governments; to impose secondary sanctions; and to force the removal of foreign companies from Cuba through direct and brutal pressure.
He warned that these constitute "a set of methods amounting to genuine political violence, coercion, and blackmail."
In this regard, he condemned the United States government for using a Latin American country as a front and intermediary to attempt to organize a group of nations, compelling them to shift their positions on the Resolution.
Furthermore, he revealed a draft speech—circulated among certain countries—that urges them to acknowledge (as it is undeniable, he noted) the existence of unilateral coercive measures, while failing to mention the energy blockade or the obstruction of shipping containers, which are being held up due to threats made against shipping companies.
He pointed out that the State Department has gone so far as to absurdly request that certain countries—which have a long-standing, firm record of voting in favor of this Resolution—either abstain, leave the chamber, or refrain from participating in the vote altogether. He added that such actions are likely to continue right up until the vote takes place.
PRETEXTS AND ACTIONS
The head of Cuban diplomacy also referred to the "ridiculous and shameful event held on October 19th, in a small, remote room within the United Nations in New York—which is, nonetheless, international territory," he denounced.
He described it as a "small, threatening, and failed event," to which the U.S. representative brought several individuals who have no authorization to be in that space, which is reserved for accredited diplomats. Among them, he mentioned Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, who appears on the national list of individuals and entities linked to terrorism.
Boronat, he added, is responsible for the attack on the Prensa Latina office in Mexico City. He has maintained professional, complicit, and personal ties with terrorists such as Ramón Saúl Sánchez Rizo, Santiago Álvarez Fernández-Magriñá, and Luis Posada Carriles.
The Foreign Minister also noted that José Daniel Ferrer and Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara—both of whom have been convicted and sentenced in Cuba—were among the guests at the meeting. This gathering is part of an offensive aimed at disrupting the upcoming UN debate, pressuring states to alter their positions during the session, and compelling them to vote differently than they had previously decided, in the exercise of their own sovereign and free will.
Such actions by the White House are intended to divert attention from the core issue: that a military, nuclear, economic, and technological superpower is committing an atrocious and ongoing act of abuse against a small, peaceful, peace-loving nation. It seeks to destroy the nation, commits an act of genocide—as defined under the Geneva Convention—brutally violates international law and international humanitarian law, and constitutes a massive, flagrant, and systematic violation of human rights, both for the Cuban people and for all nations.
The U.S. government—he stated—is maintaining a campaign that seeks to justify its actions. "No pretext of any kind could serve to justify acts of genocide or collective punishment. No political difference between governments, and no pretext related to the United States' objective of achieving regime change in Cuba, can justify acts of genocide or collective punishment."
He declared that this is not merely a bilateral matter, and that what is happening to Cuba today could happen to any other state tomorrow. He urged the international community—specifically the United Nations General Assembly—to take collective action to restore the rule of international law, and to prevent the use of force, the threat of the use of force, and the so-called imposition of peace through force.
He further noted that the issue to be discussed at the UN is, in no way, a mere dispute; rather, it concerns the sovereign rights of every state on the planet.
The General Assembly will debate whether a single power has the right—through various types of coercive measures—to obstruct trade with third countries, restrict freedom of navigation, or violate universally accepted norms of international commerce.
Rodríguez Parrilla expressed his gratitude to the governments, parliaments, grassroots and social movements, women’s, youth, and labor organizations, trade unions, non-governmental organizations, civil society groups, intellectuals, artists, academics, and scientists who have shown solidarity with Cuba and consistently condemned the blockade.
He acknowledged the states that have voted in favor of the resolution for more than 30 years. He also reiterated his thanks to the governments that recently, at the UN, opposed the energy-related and all-encompassing siege imposed upon the island.
Regarding the recent accusations against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, he described them as an "infamous and futile act"—one devoid of any legal, ethical, or practical merit—and noted that it is part of a concerted effort to continue stifling the Caribbean nation.
"I am convinced that the United States government's policy toward Cuba will have to change," he emphasized. This is due, first and foremost, to the Cuban people's resolve to defend their homeland against any threat. It is also, he added, a matter of the will of the American people. Furthermore, he asserted that the current situation is dangerous, constitutes a threat, and is unsustainable.
In response to a question from Granma newspaper, Rodríguez Parrilla stated that Cuba inspires great admiration. Moreover, the country enjoys the support of numerous friends worldwide, maintains fraternal relations with nearly every government on the planet, and holds diplomatic ties with all of them—with almost no exceptions.
Cuba also retains the recognition of its traditional trading partners. "It is well known that investors who were forced to leave our country did so against their own will, against their own interests, and against the interests of their own nations."
Many countries acknowledge that the energy blockade and the practice of collective punishment are directly linked to Cuba’s very existence as a sovereign state—actions that harm commercial relations not only for the island itself but also for third parties. For this reason, he affirmed, the strong spirit of solidarity with the largest of the Antilles will continue to endure.
He further emphasized that Cuba will not be defeated, will not be overcome, and will not surrender; it will defend its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity—as a way of upholding the independence and sovereignty of all states across the globe—regardless of the ultimate consequences.