UN votes against US Cuba embargo

The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly today to urge the United States to lift its four-decade-old embargo against Cuba…

The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly today to urge the United States to lift its four-decade-old embargo against Cuba in a resolution adopted for the 16th consecutive year.

The measure is nonbinding and such moves in the past have had no impact on US policy.

Cuban foreign minister Felipe Perez Roque denounced the "arrogance and political blindness" of Washington in ignoring 15 similar resolutions passed since 1992.

The resolution, entitled "necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba," was passed with 184 votes in favour, four against and one abstention.

READ MORE

Voting "no" with the United States were Israel, Palau and the Marshall Islands. Micronesia abstained.

US President George W. Bush last week rejected any easing of sanctions without a transition to democracy on the Caribbean island and said doing so would only bolster the communist government's grip on power.

In his first formal speech on Cuba since an ailing Fidel Castro handed power to his brother Raul in July 2006, Mr Bush labelled the Castro government a "disgraced and dying order" and urged Cubans to push for democratic change.

Every year since 1992, the UN General Assembly has told the United States to lift the embargo against Cuba. Last year's resolution was approved by 183-4, with one abstention.