US, Cuban officials argue at UN meeting

‘LIAR’: A US envoy at the podium told a Cuban diplomat to ‘back up’ from where he was speaking after the island nation took exception to claims of corruption

US and Cuban officials on Tuesday engaged in a shouting match on the floor of the UN General Assembly in New York, the latest in a series of public spats between the adversaries over Washington’s escalating economic campaign against Havana.

The interaction began shortly after US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz took the podium to argue against supporting the annual resolution this week condemning the US’ decades-long economic embargo against the island country.

As Waltz was detailing years of alleged corruption by the Cuban government, members of the Cuban delegation, including Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodriguez, began to slam on their designated table and yell for a point of order.

At a debate at UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday, US Representative to the UN Michael Waltz holds a photograph highlighting a luxury watch worn by former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Photo: EPA

As UN officials sought to tone down the outbursts, Rodriguez walked down the aisle to the head of the General Assembly and yelled to Waltz: “You are a liar.”

Waltz said: “You understand who you’re dealing with? This is America. Back up.”

While the moment represented a break from diplomatic decorum traditional to the UN, it perfectly captured the heightened tensions between Cuba and the US as US President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to force changes to Cuba’s political system by increasing its already punishing economic campaign.

Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Eduardo Rodriguez Parrilla, front, center, shouts during a debate at UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday.

Photo: EPA

The Caribbean country — already facing the dire impact of economic and financial troubles — is being pushed to a breaking point after Trump announced in late January that he would impose tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba.

The warning has effectively cut off fuel to the nation, leading to widespread power outages that affect basic activities such as cooking, the water supply, and Internet and telephone services.

Cuban officials have also repeatedly said that as US officials demand that Cuba open up to private investment, Washington keeps piling on sanctions that stymie the very economic opening it has sought for decades.

The outbursts on Tuesday came a week after a similar interaction between Waltz and Cuban Ambassador to the UN Ernesto Soberon Guzman outside a US-hosted panel with Cuban dissidents and former prisoners that sought to highlight allegations of the oppressive behavior of the Cuban government.

Waltz and other US officials have been using public events and gatherings at the world body to try to persuade UN member states to vote against the annual resolution, which is aimed at calling out the US government’s “maximum pressure policy” against Cuba.

For the past 34 years, the resolution has received overwhelming support.

Last year, the vote was 165-7, with 12 abstentions. Argentina, Ukraine and Hungary opposed the measure for the first time.

While such resolutions are not legally binding, they do reflect world opinion.