Havana, Nov 20 (Prensa Latina) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez stated on Wednesday that the new veto by the United States in the United Nations Security Council shows the complicity of that government with Israel’s genocide against Palestine.

Rodriguez wrote on his X account that the draft resolution demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, as well as access to humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza.

The proposal, submitted by Guyana on behalf of the ten non-permanent members of the body, got 14 votes in favor in the main body for peace on the planet. The US delegation, which has previously blocked several ceasefire projects, justified its decision by saying there was no link between the draft and the immediate release of those held by Hamas since October 2023.

After more than 400 days of conflict, the Security Council has only given the green light to four resolutions on the subject, with little or no effect.

The long-awaited vote coincided with the third consecutive day of debate on the situation in Gaza, where the population of the north is struggling to stay alive after more than 40 days without assistance.

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Nov 18 (Radio Habana Cuba)

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba condemns, in the strongest terms, the continued air strikes perpetrated by Israeli government forces against residential areas in Beirut and Damascus, in flagrant violation of International Law, including International Humanitarian Law.

Cuba denounces, in particular, the air attack carried out on November 14 by Israeli forces occupying the Syrian Golan against the residential neighborhood of Mezzeh, in Damascus, where diplomatic headquarters and offices of the United Nations accredited in Syria are located.

We denounce, in the same terms, the daily Israeli attacks in the southern suburb of Beirut, near the neighborhood of Hazmieh. These attacks have occurred in places very close to the Cuban diplomatic headquarters in Damascus and Beirut.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba has requested the attention of the UN Secretary General to this denunciation, and demands that the Security Council exercise its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, as established in the Charter of the United Nations.

We also request the efforts, in the same sense, of the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

The heinous crimes, committed by Israel, have caused dozens of deaths and injuries to civilians, including women and children, and caused the complete destruction of residential buildings.

These actions are part of the aggressive policy of the State of Israel against the nations of the Middle East, as evidenced by the genocide committed against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the attacks in Lebanon and other aggressions against the Syrian territories.

Israel, the Occupying Power, has the military, logistical and political backing of the United States government, which guarantees impunity and has led to a dangerous escalation that further compromises regional and international stability and security.

Cuba, while expressing its solidarity with the nations attacked by Israel, calls for the pursuit of legitimate international efforts to achieve peace and an immediate and permanent ceasefire to avoid further escalation of a conflict that has already cost the lives of tens of thousands of civilians, including women, the elderly and children, and has aggravated the humanitarian crisis to alarming levels in these peoples of the region.

In accordance with its foreign policy based on strict respect for the UN Charter and International Law, the Republic of Cuba reiterates that peace will only be possible in the Middle East through a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the conflict, which contemplates the creation of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State, with the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital and the return of refugees.

It also demands that the entry of Palestine as a full member of the UN be guaranteed without further delay.

Havana, November 18, 2024.

(Cubaminrex)

Havana, Nov 18 (Prensa Latina) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Monday thanked the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for a donation for the victims of Hurricane Oscar.

We thank the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for the delivery of 24 tons of humanitarian aid for the areas severely affected by Hurricane Oscar in eastern Cuba, Rodriguez wrote on X.

Transported from Panama on a charter flight, Cuba received on Sunday the first part of a donation that will arrive in this capital by sea, according to statements by the head of operations of the Federation, Nicolas Segura.

Solar lamps, tools, tarps and kitchen implements are some of the basic needs included in the cargo.

Hurricane Oscar hit part of eastern Cuba, mainly the municipalities of San Antonio del Sur, Maisí, Baracoa and Imías, in Guantanamo province, where it damaged more than 10,500 homes.

It also killed eight people and two are missing, as well as causing considerable damage to agriculture, power services, water supply and communications, the road network, and educational and medical institutions, among other infrastructure. After Hurricane Oscar hit Cuba on November 6, authorities have acknowledged the shows of solidarity and offers of help from various nations and international organizations.

Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Russia, China, Spain, Caribbean states and other regions, solidarity organizations, Cuban residents in the United States and other countries, United Nations agencies and various organizations have expressed their support for Cuba.

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