US abstains for first time on call to end embargo against Cuba

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called the US abstention a positive step toward improving relations between the two countries.

On October 26, the United States abstained for the first time in 24 years at the United Nations General Assembly vote on a resolution calling for an end to the US economic embargo against Cuba. The UN General Assembly passed the resolution with 191 votes in favor.

The United States and Israel, which have previously opposed the resolution, were the only two countries to abstain. Although such resolutions are non-binding, they carry political weight. The General Assembly welcomed the announcement by US Ambassador Samantha Power before the vote that the United States would abstain.

US President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro. (Photo: BBC)

Ms. Power said the US abstained because of President Obama's new approach to Cuba, but the US objected to the resolution's statements that the embargo violates international law. Ms. Power also stressed that abstaining does not mean the US agrees with all policies and activities of the Cuban government.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called the US abstention a positive step towards improving relations between the two countries. He said lifting the embargo was key to normalizing relations with the US and giving meaning and depth to what had been achieved in the past.

Since Cuba and the United States began normalizing relations in 2014, President Barack Obama has taken steps to ease trade and travel restrictions on Cuba. Over the past two years, the two countries have reopened embassies, resumed commercial flights, and eased travel restrictions.

The United States recently lifted the ban on Cuban cigars and rum being brought into the United States, but the export of these products to the United States remains illegal. In March 2016, President Obama made a historic visit to Cuba, marking a milestone in the normalization of relations between the two countries.

The economic embargo against Cuba can only be fully lifted if it is passed by the US Congress. The US Congress has previously rejected President Obama's call to lift the 56-year-old economic embargo against Cuba.

According to VOV