New York, 9 October 2019. Our country reiterates its will to combat terrorism and its deepest rejection and condemnation of all terrorist acts, methods and practices in all their forms and manifestations by whomever, against whomever and wherever they are committed, regardless of their motivations, including those cases in which States are directly or indirectly involved, stated today Ambassador Humberto Rivero Rosario, representative of the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations, in his statement at the debate on agenda item 109 of the United Nations, "Measures to eliminate international terrorism".
The Cuban diplomat stressed that terrorism must be addressed in a holistic, manner through direct confrontation and prevention and with concrete actions to eradicate its root causes; and insisted that this phenomenon cannot and should not be linked to any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group.
Cuba, a State party to 18 international conventions on terrorism, -- appreciates the value of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the primary responsibility of Member States to implement it in a transparent manner -- condemns any action aimed at encouraging, supporting, financing or concealing any terrorist act, method or practice, while at the same time supports multilateral efforts aimed at consolidating the central role of the General Assembly in implementing the Strategy, he said.
Rivero Rosario also referred to the harmful practice by certain States of financing, supporting or promoting subversive acts of "regime change," as well as messages of intolerance and hatred against other peoples, cultures or political systems, through the use of modern information and communication technologies, which he described as a violation of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law.
He mentioned the United States as an example of this practice, which through unilateral acts and mechanisms, claims to be in the right to certify behaviors and draw up politically motivated lists; uses the banner of a supposed fight against terrorism to carry out acts of aggression, directly or indirectly against sovereign peoples; as well as a rhetoric of anger and hatred, which has exacerbated the levels of racism and xenophobia in its own society.
The senior representative of Cuba to the UN recalled that Cuba, in defending its independence, sovereignty and dignity, suffered for decades the consequences of hundreds of terrorist acts, which have taken 3,478 lives and injured 2,099 persons; including the victims of the explosion in mid-flight, off the coast of Barbados, of an aircraft of the Cubana de Aviación airline, taking a toll of 73 lives. Forty-three years after this event, he recalled, the Cuban people are outraged that justice has not been done, since the mastermind and self-confessed terrorist of that crime, Luis Posada Carriles, died free with the shameful complicity of the United States Government.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations