US, Cuban Officials Argue Over Embargo 10/28 06:18

   

   (AP) -- U.S. and Cuban officials engaged in a stunning shouting match on the 
floor of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, the latest in a series 
of public spats between the longtime adversaries over Washington's escalating 
economic campaign against Havana.

   The interaction began shortly after U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz 
took the podium to argue against supporting the annual resolution this week 
condemning the U.S.' 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 
Rodrguez, began to slam on their designated table and yell for a point of 
order.

   Then, as U.N. officials sought to tone down the outbursts, Rodrguez 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 U.N., it perfectly captured the heightened tensions between 
Cuba and the U.S. 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 longtime 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.

   Cuban officials have also repeatedly stressed that as U.S. officials demand 
that Cuba open up to private investment, Washington keeps piling on sanctions 
that stymie the very economic opening it has sought for decades.

   The outbursts Tuesday come a week after a similar interaction between Waltz 
and his Cuban counterpart, Ernesto Sobern Guzmn, outside a U.S.-hosted panel 
with Cuban dissidents and former prisoners that sought to highlight allegations 
of the oppressive behavior of the island's government.

   Waltz and other U.S. officials have been using these public events and 
gatherings at the world body to try to persuade U.N. member states to vote on 
Wednesday against the annual resolution, which is aimed at calling out the U.S. 
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.