NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- As the old adage goes, "third time's a charm" -- but the 32nd time? Not quite, at least when it comes to the U.N. General Assembly's vote to condemn the American economic embargo of Cuba, which voted overwhelming Wednesday to indeed condemn for a 32nd year.
The 193-member body voted 187-2 in favor of the resolution, titled "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba." The U.S. and Israel voted against the resolution and Moldova abstained.
The resolution -- which follows an island-wide blackout earlier this month -- is non-binding, though. The embargo was first imposed in 1960 after Fidel Castro, who died in Nov. 2016 at age 90, came to power following the revolution.
Bruno Rodriguez, Cuba's foreign minister, lashed out at the White House. "President Joseph Biden's administration usually claims that its policy is intended to 'help and support the Cuban people,'" he said. "Who would believe such an assertion?"
But U.S. deputy ambassador Paul Folmsbee told the assembly that human rights remain a key issue, citing the fact that 1,000 political prisoners have been unjustly detained in Cuba, more than at any point in Cuba's recent history.
"Sanctions are one element of our broader effort to advance democracy and promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba,” he said.
Former President Barack Obama in 2015 and 2016 modified various aspects of the of the embargo, "which contrast with the measures applied since 2017 [by President Donald Trump] to reinforce its implementation," the Assembly stated.
The resolution stated, "The [General Assembly,] once again urges States that have and continue to apply such laws and measures to take the steps necessary to repeal or invalidate them as soon as possible in accordance with their legal regime."