us abstains from un vote calling for end to cuban embargo published time: 26 oct, 2016 21:10 get short url u.s. president barack obama and cuban president raul castro gesture after a news conference as part of president obama's three-day visit to cuba, in havana march 21, 2016. <u+00a9> carlos barria / reuters the us government abstained from the un vote on a resolution calling for an end to the us economic embargo against cuba, for the first time in 24 years. 




the 193-member general assembly adopted the resolution with 191 votes in favor on wednesday. the only other abstention, besides the us, was israel. the vote is non-binding but it can have political weight. u.s. decision to abstain in un vote condemning cuba embargo is small but meaningful. the cold war is over, congress must lift embargo pic.twitter.com/lvjq8jlvne <u+2014> charles rangel (@cbrangel) october 26, 2016 




cuba's foreign minister bruno rodriguez described the abstention as a "positive step for the future of improving relations between the united states and cuba," according to reuters. in case you missed it: full speech delivered by #cuba fm at today's vote against #us blockade #yovotovsbloqueo https://t.co/ejnmmyvs8j <u+2014> jos<u+00e9> ram<u+00f3>n caba<u+00f1>as (@josercabanas) october 26, 2016 




rodriguez said in september that the embargo cost cuba $4.6 billion last year, and the full damage over the length of the 50-year embargo was estimated at $125.9 billion. 




when it was first announced that the us government would abstain from the vote, the entire general assembly applauded. 




"abstaining on this resolution does not mean that the united states agrees with all of the policies and practices of the cuban government. we do not," samantha power the us ambassador to the united nations told the general assembly on tuesday. 




"we are profoundly concerned by the serious human rights violations that the cuban government continues to commit with impunity against its own people," she said, according to ap. us abstains from un vote to condemn cuba embargo for the first time https://t.co/bmly4vpaym <u+2014> the guardian (@guardian) october 26, 2016 




the obama administration began normalizing relations with the communist-run country in at the end of 2014, easing trade and travel restrictions. on july 20, 2015, diplomatic relations were restored, and embassies in the two countries were reopened. us approves airlines to fly to cuba https://t.co/46qazoxt6u pic.twitter.com/gn9lelygce <u+2014> rt america (@rt_america) june 10, 2016 




lifting the full embargo will take the support of the republican-run congress, which remains critical of the administration<u+2019>s efforts, arguing it offered too many concessions to cuba and accepted little in return, especially on human rights and the restoration of expropriated property. <u+2018>making history<u+2019>: first us cruise ship in nearly 40 years reaches cuba (photos) https://t.co/xqu6jbagbq pic.twitter.com/k9oe5omaz4 <u+2014> rt america (@rt_america) may 2, 2016 




obama made the first visit to havana by a us president in 88 years in march.
us abstains from un vote calling for end to cuban embargo
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