New York, 29 June 2021.During the Second United Nations High-Level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States, the Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations, Ambassador Pedro Luis Pedroso Cuesta, reiterated his country’s commitment to the adoption of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism that includes State terrorism and overcomes the existing legal loopholes and normative dispersion. At the same time, he urged that negotiations leading to this objective be resumed immediately.
The Ambassador explained that the head of his delegation could not access the Interprefy platform from Havana because Cuban IP addresses have restricted access to that application arising from the illegal economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the US government, which was condemned by the overwhelming majority of the international community last week.
Pedroso asserted that his country has had a laudable performance in the fight against terrorism. It has fulfilled and will continue to honor the commitments undertaken in this area. It is a State Party to the 19 international conventions relating to terrorism and has put in force measures to confront this scourge. Cuba’s commitment to combat terrorism was accorded constitutional status in 2019, he stated.
The Cuban diplomat strongly condemned all terrorist acts, methods and practices in all their forms and manifestations by whomever, against whomever, and wherever they are committed, whatever their motivations, including those in which there are States directly or indirectly involved.
Likewise, he denounces the unilateral measures and acts of certain governments, such as the United States, which takes upon itself the right to issue lists of countries as a means of political coercion. These actions undermine the fundamental authority of the General Assembly in the fight against terrorism and hinder international cooperation in this field. We strongly reject the inclusion of Cuba in the US State Department’s list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism. This designation is a slanderous, hypocritical and opportunistic move.
He affirmed that it is demagogic that this government refuses to label as terrorist the gun attack against the Cuban Embassy in Washington on 30 April 2020, thus failing to comply with the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons, including Diplomatic Agents, to which it is a party.
Pedroso concluded by expressing his concern about the misuse of information and communications technologies to commit, instigate, recruit, finance or plan terrorist acts, in violation of the United Nations Charter and international law.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations
