US, Cuban officials engage in shouting match during UN debate over economic embargo

US and Cuban officials engaged in a stunning shouting match on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, the latest in a series of public spats between the long-time 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 socialist government, members of the Cuban delegation, including Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, 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 walked down the aisle to the head of the General Assembly and yelled to Waltz, “You are a liar!”

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

While the moment represented a shocking break from diplomatic decorum traditional to the UN, it perfectly captured the heightened tensions between Cuba and the US 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 long-time economic and financial troubles — is now being pushed to a breaking point after Trump, a Republican, 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.

The outbursts on Tuesday come a week after a similar interaction between Waltz and his Cuban counterpart, Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, outside a US-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 US 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 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.