Issued by Department of Foreign Affairs
10 November 2000
Mr. President,
Allow me to welcome the Foreign Minister of Cuba this morning. We believe it is very significant that the Minister was able to find time in his busy schedule to be among us. His presence is appropriate because today we are addressing the plight of the Cuban people. For more than forty years, the people of Cuba have suffered from a relentless and unilateral embargo. The tragedy of this unilateral embargo is that it continues to cause untold suffering on the Cuban civilian population. It is the ordinary people who carry the brunt of this injustice, the ordinary men, women and children whose daily lives in Cuba have been affected by policies beyond their control. It is therefore no wonder that the overwhelming majority of Member States are here to rally in support of the resolution before us.
Mr President,
South Africa views the continued imposition of an economic, commercial and financial embargo by the United States of America against the Republic of Cuba as a flagrant violation of the principle of the sovereign equality of States, non-intervention and non-interference in each other's domestic affairs. We are guided by these basic norms of international conduct in our principled support for the need to eliminate coercive economic measures as a means of political and economic compulsion.
At the X111th Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement held in Cartagena this April a call was made to the government of the United States of America; "to put an end to the economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba which, in addition to being unilateral and contrary to the Untied Nations Charter and International Law, and to the principle of neighbourliness, caused huge material losses and economic damage to the people of Cuba." The Ministers further expressed "their deep concern over the widening of the extra-territorial nature of the embargo against Cuba and over continuous new legislative measures geared to intensifying it".
Mr President,
My delegation reiterates the sentiment expressed at the NAM Ministerial Summit and calls upon all countries to reject the unilateral extraterritorial imposition of sanctions because they stand in stark contrast to international laws that guide all civilised states. The United Nations Charter is an embodiment of the vision, mission, principles and obligations that all signatories to the Charter have to abide by. They specifically include the equality of all member states; non-intervention and non-interference in the domestic affairs of other states. Freedom to trade internationally is an integral part of many international legal instruments.
Mr President,
In line with previous United Nations resolutions on this item, among others, South Africa believes that constructive dialogue can foster mutual trust and understanding as well as engender harmony and peaceful co-existence between both nations. South Africa will, once again, support the draft resolution to be considered by the General Assembly under this agenda item. This is the least that we can do for the Cuban people.
I thank you.