国际英语新闻：U.S. embargo denies right of Cubans to development: Venezuela

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela said here Tuesday that the U.S. embargo against Cuba is "a repeated and unilateral denial" of the right of the Caribbean island country and its people to development, and criticized the United States for continuing to "ignore the voice of the peoples of the world that demand the end of this genocidal policy."

The statement came as Jorge Valero, Venezuela's permanent representative to the United Nations, was taking the floor at an open debate of the UN Security Council on "the necessity of ending economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba."

"The blockade is, in short, a repeatedly and unilateral denial, by a signatory to the United Nations Charter, of the right to development of another member states," he said.

Valero, who also described the U.S. blockade as "criminal," said, "The blockade affects the legitimate interests of any sovereign state that legitimately decides to become a business partner of the Republic of Cuba, through the extraterritorial application of the U.S. legal system."

The United States imposed the trade embargo on Cuba in early 1960s when both countries severed diplomatic ties.

"The devastating collateral damage inflicted each day to the brotherly people of the island by the policy of the blockade, are unjustifiable," he said. "It would cause a massive humanitarian disaster in Cuba -- as recognized by the American Association of World Health -- if this nation did not have an extraordinary system of public health."

"The blockade against Cuba has diverse impacts on the daily lives of women and men, children and the elderly," he said. "It manifests itself -- crudely -- in the way it affects the quality of life of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which must do without the standard treatment for this disease."

"The blockade also manifests in the difficulties of the people to have access to the enjoyment of housing rights," he said. "It hinders the import of building materials needed to replace and repair the huge number of buildings affected by the hurricanes."

"The blockade generates millions in losses each year in Cuba 's basic industries: sugar, steel work and tourism," he said.

Meanwhile, he said that the new U.S. government did nothing to change its policy towards Cuba and continued to ignore the voice of the world for an end to such an embargo.

"The change of government in the United States generated great expectations regarding a new policy respecting the sovereignty of nations," he said. "There is nothing that suggests, however, that there have been substantial changes in the foreign policy of the United States, in particular, in regards to the blockade against Cuba."

"The U.S. government continues to ignore the voice of the peoples of the world that demand the end of this genocidal policy which represents a violation of human rights," he said.