Sobers Defends Trinidad And Tobago’s Vote Against UN Cuba Resolution

Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Minister Sean Sobers has defended Trinidad and Tobago’s vote against a United Nations resolution calling for an end to the United States embargo against Cuba, saying the Government’s decision reflected its demand for political change on the island. Addressing the House of Representatives on Friday, Sobers presented the departure from the country’s longstanding position as support for the Cuban people’s democratic rights. He argued that the Government could not advocate free elections, freedom of expression and political rights at home while remaining silent about what it considers the denial of those freedoms in Cuba. Sobers linked the vote to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s remarks at a CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in St Kitts and Nevis in February. He said her call for change in Cuba had already signalled the Government’s position. The minister also pointed to differences among countries in the region. According to the voting account he presented to Parliament, some countries opposed the resolution, others abstained and others did not participate. He cited Jamaica, Guyana and Haiti among the abstentions, and Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and St Lucia among those absent from the vote. Sobers argued that those decisions demonstrated that Trinidad and Tobago was not alone in withholding support for the resolution. The regional voting details were presented as part of his parliamentary defence of the Government’s decision. He also criticised the Opposition PNM’s approach, accusing it of supporting diplomatic efforts that did not address his concerns about democratic elections in Cuba. His argument placed political reform at the centre of the Government’s explanation for its vote on the embargo resolution. Sobers said Trinidad and Tobago would continue to advocate internationally for political reform in Cuba and for the Cuban people’s right to choose their government.