UN / CUBA PRESSER

Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla said that today's General Assembly vote, overwhelmingly in favour of lifting the Cuban embargo, "is in tune with the feelings of broad sectors of US society which support the end of this obsolete policy." UNIFEED-UNTV

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:45
• Production Date: 27 October 2015
• Asset Language: English; Spanish
• Personal Subject: BRUNO RODRÍGUEZ PARRILLA
• Corporate Name: GENERAL ASSEMBLY
• Subject Topical: TRADE
• Geographic Subject: CUBA; UNITED STATES
• MAMS Id: 1487358
• Parent Id: 1487358
• Alternate Title: unifeed151027d

Description

STORY: UN / CUBA PRESSER
TRT: 02:45\t
SOURCE: UNIFEED-UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / SPANISH / NATS

DATELINE: 25 OCTOBER 2015, NEW YORK CITY / RECENT

Shotlist

RECENT-NEW YORK CITY

1. Aerial shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters

25 OCTOBER 2015, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, dais
3. Med shot, press
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba:
“Almost the entire international community has expressed its support. Its vote has been also in support of President Obama’s expressed will to engage the US congress so that the blockade is lifted. This vote is in tune with the feelings of broad sectors of the US society which support the end of this obsolete policy that has caused so much human and economic damages to the Cuban people as well as to American citizens themselves.”
5. Med shot, photographer
6. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba:
“We can only judge based on facts. The facts are that since 17 December there have not been any significant modifications to exercise of the blockade. In January and in September some measures of extraordinarily limited reach were applied. These are virtually inapplicable unless they are accompanied by ulterior decisions. Just a few weeks ago, the President of the United States extended the life of the trading-with-the-enemy act of 1917, an old piece of legislation that is only applied against Cuba.”
7. Med shot, reporters
8. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba:
“As long as there is a strict and complete application of the blockade, the United Nations General Assembly, considering its extra-territorial reach, its dimension with regard to the violation of international law, its damage to the sovereignty of third countries, and its implications as a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of human rights, would have to continue seized of this matter.”
9. Med shot, press
10. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba:
“Relations cannot be normalized as long as the blockade exists. In the measure that practical actions are taken to dismantle the blockade, it will make sense. What has been done until now, the announcement of 17 December that is what will determine the rhythm of the difficult and complex process towards the normalization of bilateral relations.”
11. Wide shot, end of presser

STORYLINE:\t

Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla today (27 Oct) said that the General Assembly vote, overwhelmingly in favour of lifting the Cuban embargo, "is in tune with the feelings of broad sectors of US society which support the end of this obsolete policy."

Rodríguez Parrilla said the resolution, which the United States voted against, “has been also in support of President Obama’s expressed will to engage the US congress so that the blockade is lifted.”

The Foreign Minister nevertheless said “the facts are that since 17 December there have not been any significant modifications to exercise of the blockade” while “just a few weeks ago, the President of the United States extended the life of the trading-with-the-enemy act of 1917, an old piece of legislation that is only applied against Cuba.”

Rodríguez Parrilla said that “as long as there is a strict and complete application of the blockade, the United Nations General Assembly, considering its extra-territorial reach, its dimension with regard to the violation of international law, its damage to the sovereignty of third countries, and its implications as a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of human rights, would have to continue seized of this matter.”

Before concluding, he said “relations cannot be normalized as long as the blockade exists. In the measure that practical actions are taken to dismantle the blockade, it will make sense. What has been done until now, the announcement of 17 December that is what will determine the rhythm of the difficult and complex process towards the normalization of bilateral relations.”

The resolution titled "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba" put forward by Cuba is 24th such resolution adopted by the General Assembly over the last 24 consecutive years.

191 member states voted in favour of the resolution, while the United States and Israel voted against.