Ending Cuban Sanctions: 'It's the Right Thing to Do'

In an exclusive interview, Cuba’s top diplomat calls the U.S. embargo lethal,’ urging President Biden to change this situation with a signature’

- TOM O’CONNOR

EARLIER THIS MONTH, THE world delivered a near-unanimous rebuke of the long-standing U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, when 185 nations at the United Nations General Assembly voted for a non-binding resolution condemning the sanctions. Only the U.S. and Israel voted against it, while Brazil and Ukraine abstained.

One day after the vote-the 30th time that the General Assembly has condemned the U.S. policy, which has been in place since 1960-Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla sat down with Newsweek's senior foreign policy writer Tom O'Connor for an exclusive interview. In a wide-ranging conversation, Rodríguez Parrilla explains why President Biden should heed that international call, in addition to talking about other top issues between the two nations.

In a direct appeal, Cuba's top diplomat urged the Biden administration, U.S. policymakers and the American public to rethink a policy he argued was responsible not only for the suffering of everyday Cubans but also a deterioration in Washington's relationship with the international community. This is especially true in Latin America, he said, where a new wave of leftist leaders is expected to shore up ties with Havana, leaving Washington more isolated than ever in its own hemisphere. This transcript has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Newsweek. For the 30th time in a row, and with near unanimity, the international community has condemned U.S. sanctions against Cuba. Yet there doesn't seem to be any indication that Washington is going to waver. What does this vote mean to Cuba?

Rodríguez Parilla _ For me, it’s a very personal and emotional issue. I attended the second [U.N.] vote in 1993 and saw the growth of this roll call, of the pattern of votes from a few dozen votes, 59 in the first year, to almost unanimous support currently.