U.S. and Cuban officials get into shouting match on floor of United Nations
U.S. and Cuban officials engaged in a stunning shouting match on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, the latest in a series of public spats between the longtime adversaries over Washington's escalating economic campaign against Havana.
U.S. ambassador was urging vote against Cuban resolution prompting island delegation to call him a liar
The Associated Press
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U.S. and Cuban officials engaged in a stunning shouting match on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, the latest in a series of public spats between the longtime adversaries over Washington's escalating economic campaign against Havana.
The interaction began shortly after U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz took the podium to argue against supporting the annual resolution this week condemning the decades-long U.S. economic embargo against the island country.
As Waltz was detailing years of alleged corruption by the socialist government, members of the Cuban delegation, including Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, began to slam on their designated table and yell for a point of order.
Then, as UN officials sought to tone down the outbursts, Rodríguez Parrilla walked down the aisle to the head of the General Assembly and yelled at Waltz, "You are a liar!"
Waltz responded, "You understand who you're dealing with? This is America. Back up."
WATCH | The confrontation at the UN:
Shouting erupts at UN embargo vote as U.S., Cuban officials face off
22 minutes ago|
Duration
1:55
While the moment represented a shocking break from diplomatic decorum traditional to the UN, it perfectly captured the heightened tensions between Cuba and the U.S. as President Donald Trump's administration seeks to force changes to Cuba's political system by increasing its already punishing economic campaign.
The Caribbean country — already facing the dire impact of longtime economic and financial troubles — is now 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 island, 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 stressed that as U.S. 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.
A woman walks past a pool of sewage on a Havana street as water and electricity shortages threaten health and hygiene in the island nation. (Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters)
The outbursts Tuesday came a week after a similar interaction between Waltz and his Cuban counterpart, Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, outside a U.S.-hosted panel with Cuban dissidents and former prisoners that sought to highlight allegations of the oppressive behaviour of the island's government.
Waltz and other U.S. officials have been using these public events and gatherings at the world body to try to persuade UN member states to vote on Wednesday against the annual resolution, which is aimed at calling out the U.S. 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.
Canada has consistently voted in favour of the annual resolution. Earlier this year, Global Affairs Canada announced it was providing $5.5 million in new support to Cubans, following $8 million it provided in February in accelerated funds to help scale up food aid to the nation.
While such resolutions are not legally binding, they do reflect world opinion.
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