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Virulent void

• Reply by Peter Burleigh, U.S. permanent alternate representative to the UN

Thank you, Mr. President.

Mr. President:

Peter Burleigh This morning, Mr. Foreign Minister Pérez Roque continued with Cuba’s traditional verbal assault on the United States. Although that is not surprising or unexpected, it is my duty to respond to at least some of the many false imputations, crude exaggerations and erroneous concepts in the minister’s speech concerning the United States and my government’s policies.

First, we reject the idea of labeling as genocide the decision by a sovereign nation to restrict certain forms of trade by its citizens with another country. Our trade embargo against Cuba is aimed at maintaining pressure on the Cuban government to observe recognized principles of international law and to put in practice a pluralist democracy.

The U.S. policy is clear: to reach out to the Cuban people and give them hope, without fortifying a government which denies its own people economic and political alternatives and which does not respect basic human rights.

Let us be frank. The failure of the Cuban economy is the result of the Cuban government’s bad economic management, not of the U.S. embargo.

Second, it is false to assert that the United States has prohibited the sale of medicines and medical supplies to Cuba. Such sales have been authorized for quite some time and are specifically permitted by U.S. laws.

My government has taken steps to simplify sales of these products and a number of shipments have been confirmed.

The political decisions of the Cuban government itself are responsible for the inadequate health care received by ordinary Cuban citizens.

In a democratic society, a freely elected government is responsible to its people for the economic and the human rights policies that it applies. Respect for human rights, democratic changes and government by the people—not over the people—are the cornerstone of prosperity and economic development. The Cuban government persists in blaming others for its errors, while the people of Cuba pay the price.

We and many others in this room share our faith in a simple solution to Cuba’s problems. Our advice to the Cuban government is to begin the process of democratic changes and economic reforms, and to heed the international call to respect human rights and basic freedoms.

We ask the Cuban government to lift its embargo on freedom in its own country.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Note: this text was retranslated from the Spanish.

SPEECH GIVEN BY THE CUBAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN RELATIONS AT THE 54TH SESSION OF THE
UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Hassan Pérez’ counter-reply at the 5th UN General Assembly