USAupdated 57m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 20 February 2024Mike Waltz And Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla Clash At UN Over U.S. Embargo
“This is the UN. This isn’t your communist dictatorship.”
“This is America, my friend. This is the United Nations.”
Photo: Mojnsen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Waltz and Rodríguez Parrilla clashed at the UN over Washington's embargo on Cuba. Rodríguez interrupted, banged lectern; Waltz accused Cuba of profiting from forced labor.
UN embargo clash
The United States and Cuba clashed at the UN General Assembly during debate on a resolution calling for an end to the U.S. embargo on Cuba’s economy, trade, and finance.
Mike Waltz told delegates, "This is the United States, my friend. These are the United Nations. This is not your communist dictatorship. You cannot silence me," as Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla interrupted and approached the podium.
Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla countered by accusing Waltz of making false statements and of disrespecting the forum, and the Cuban delegation repeatedly interrupted the speech as the UN General Assembly president intervened to remind both sides of the forum’s rules.
Waltz also rejected Cuba’s description of U.S. measures as a "blockade," saying, "There is no blockade," and defining it as "a ring of military ships around an island. It does not exist."
Shouting and procedural fights
The confrontation escalated after Mike Waltz accused the Havana government of profiting off the forced labour of its citizens, and the Cuban delegation, including Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, began to slam on the tables and shout for point of order.
Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla walked down the aisle to the head of the General Assembly and yelled at Waltz, "You are a liar!", as UN officials sought to tone down the outbursts.
Waltz responded, "You understand who you're dealing with? This is America. Back up," and the chair briefly suspended the session and instructed both countries’ representatives to return to their places.
After the session was suspended, Waltz continued and the Cuban foreign minister accused Waltz of "blatantly lying" and having "an undignified attitude," while the UN General Assembly president Khalilur Rahman threatened to suspend the session earlier in the exchange.
What is at stake
The UN General Assembly debate continued as the resolution Cuba has been presenting since 1992 urged Washington to end the embargo, and EFE said the non-binding draft resolution is usually adopted almost unanimously each year except Washington and its allies.
EFE reported that last year the text secured the vote of 165 member states in favor, 12 abstentions, and 7 votes against: the United States, Israel, Argentina, Paraguay, Ukraine, North Macedonia, and Hungary.
Waltz told delegates, "You will see how that vote changes tomorrow. The world is waking up to these hard truths," as Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla accused the U.S. government of lying in a "grotesque and permanent" way during the annual review.
Cuba’s ambassador to Mexico, Eugenio Martínez Enríquez, said the intervention by the United States at the UN General Assembly was a "circle of lies" and criticized pressures from Washington on "some" Latin American countries ahead of the vote.