The United States is expelling a Cuban diplomat after an incident during an interrupted debate at the UN General Assembly on the US embargo on Cuba. US Ambassador to the UN Mike Walz said the envoy shoved and tried to attack a member of the US delegation who was filming the incident.
Walz said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had signed the expulsion documents. "He's leaving. He'll be on a plane to Havana in the next 24 hours," the US ambassador said in an interview with “Fox News“.
Reuters identified the diplomat as Richard Tour de la Concepción, first secretary of Cuba's permanent mission to the UN. The US authorities have not issued a separate official statement with further details about his identity.
Debate on the embargo was interrupted
The clash occurred on Tuesday, October 27, while Walz was speaking about the policies of the Cuban government and accusing its leadership of benefiting while the population suffered severe economic consequences.
Members of the Cuban delegation began to insist on a procedural statement and interrupt the speech. Subsequently, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Paria approached the podium. Walz told him: “This is America. This is the UN. This is not your communist dictatorship. You cannot silence me.“
Rodriguez accused the US representative of lying. UN General Assembly President Kalilur Rahman called on delegations to maintain order, but the meeting was eventually suspended.
Cuba disputes US version
The Cuban mission to the UN has filed a complaint with the organization's secretary-general over the actions of the American diplomat who filmed the Torre de la Concepción up close. The complaint defines the filming as harassment, stalking and invasion of personal space.
The US side presents the incident as a physical attack on its diplomat, while the Cuban version emphasizes provocation and a violation of diplomatic order. No information has been publicly announced about an investigation by the UN authorities.
The incident occurred on the eve of the vote on the traditional resolution on the US embargo. The General Assembly adopted the text with 130 votes “in favor” and 17 “against“. The resolution is political in nature and cannot lift the restrictions on its own, as this is the prerogative of the US Congress.
Sources: apnews.com, foxnews.com, elpais.com