Obama calls on UN to Congress put an end to the embargo against Cuba

US President spoke at the 70th UN General Assembly.
Raul Castro said that embargo is the main obstacle to development.



The US president, Barack Obama, called on Monday (28) during his speech at the 70th United Nations General Assembly in New York, that Congress raise the embargo of his country against Cuba. Washington and Havana have resumed diplomatic relations this year, following an approach mediated by the Vatican.


Obama said he was confident that Congress "will inevitably lift an embargo which should no longer be in force" before the applause of the delegations of the 193 member countries.

The embargo was reported this weekend by Cuban President Raul Castro, before the United Nations, which considered that this policy is "the main obstacle to economic development" of their country.

Obama formally restored diplomatic ties with the Caribbean island, which is about 144 kilometers from Florida, after more than 50 years of hostility and mutual distrust. But only Congress may suspend the embargo in force since 1962, and is unlikely to Republican leaders to do so.

War in Syria

Obama focused much of his speech on the problems caused by wars and conflicts in the world, speaking mainly from Syria.

The president cited nominally Bashar al-Assad, dictator of Syria, calling him a "tyrant" who "plays barrels of bombs on innocent children." "Catastrophes like looking in the Syrian do not happen in countries with genuine democracy," he said to applause.