[1/2] Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva review an honour guard at the Revolution Palace during the G77+China summit in Havana, Cuba, September 16, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini Acquire Licensing Rights
BRASILIA, Sept 16 (Reuters) - On his first trip to Cuba during his third term in office, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called the embargo imposed by the United States on the island "illegal" and denounced the island's inclusion on the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump included the island nation on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, and though the Biden administration has reversed other Trump-era measures, it has so far not removed Cuba from the list.
"Cuba has been an advocate of fairer global governance. And to this day it is the victim of an illegal economic embargo," Lula said in a speech opening the G77 Summit of developing nations in the capital, Havana. "Brazil is against any unilateral coercive measure. We reject Cuba's inclusion on the list of states sponsoring terrorism."
The comments were made just hours before Lula left for New York, where he will attend the United Nations General Assembly and have bilateral talks with Biden.
Earlier, Cuba expressed concerns over the label and Washington’s decades-old Cold War-era economic embargo against the island governed by the Communist Party of Cuba. The 27-member European Union, the country's top trade partner, has also repeatedly rejected trade embargo. Cuba and critics of the economic sanctions say the embargo prevents and hampers access to food, medicine and other critical development supplies.
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Lula's remarks.
The Biden administration has previously said U.S. law includes exemptions and authorizations for exports of food, medicine, and other humanitarian goods to the island.
During the Assembly, Brazil is expected to return to its historic position of condemning the embargo on Cuba, one of the motions that is usually voted on every year at the United Nations and passes overwhelmingly. In 2019, during the first year of right-wing Jair Bolsonaro's administration, Brazil voted against the motion along with the United States and Israel.
Lula also used his speech to call once again for the investment promised by developed countries to reduce the impact of climate change, as established in the Paris Agreement, but which has not been fulfilled. The president said that developing countries do not have the same "historical debt" as the rich for global warming.
"The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities remains valid. That is why all developing countries must be guaranteed climate funds, according to their needs and priorities," he said.
Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu; Writing by Steven Grattan; Editing by Aurora Ellis
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Hidden-Syndicate on September 17th, 2023 at 15:18 UTC »
The US should have a new era of relations with Cuba before an adversary takes further advantage of the schism. Obama started the process but it’s was reversed under Trump and Biden has largely moved on to other issues at hand. Having a good, or at least stable, relationship with Cuba is beneficial to all.
That being said. Lula has trouble coming off with any sort of tact or diplomatic ability. Imagine issuing stern statements like this, calling for more money to address issues within your own nation (deforestation and oil production increases in protected areas) from the US, and constantly be calling for an end to the hegemony of the US dollar all on the eve of a bi-lateral meeting with Biden.
I get it, most of your points are valid, but your populist rhetoric and fire-brand attitude don’t aid your goals when you are going to NYC and Washington asking for money. It’s like he doesn’t care about substance, only image.
The_Milkman on September 17th, 2023 at 14:20 UTC »
The USA is missing a huge opportunity by not engaging these days with Cuba as Russia is tied down with its illegal war in Ukraine and China's economy is experiencing significant setbacks. It could easily remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, for starters.
Rolling back the embargo is a much trickier task because of the way has been set up and intensified over the years. It is a shame that all the progress made under Obama was totally lost due to Trump.
However, we should also realize the embargo is not the biggest thing keeping Cuba back, but the economic model in place in Cuba and the regime itself.
TheThirdDumpling on September 17th, 2023 at 13:41 UTC »
submission statement:
" On his first trip to Cuba during his third term in office, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called the embargo imposed by the United States on the island "illegal" and denounced the island's inclusion on the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Lula also used his speech to call once again for the investment promised by developed countries to reduce the impact of climate change, as established in the Paris Agreement, but which has not been fulfilled. The president said that developing countries do not have the same "historical debt" as the rich for global warming. "