In first, US abstains on Cuba embargo vote at UN

NEW YORK

The U.S. on Wednesday abstained for the first time in 25 years during a UN vote condemning the international blockade against communist Cuba.

The resolution passed, as it has done since 1991, with an overwhelming 191-0 vote, with two abstentions. Israel also abstained.

The move is a surefire sign the U.S. wants to continue on the path of normalizing ties with Cuba, as part of a process that began in 2014.

“After 55-plus years of pursuing the path of isolation, we are choosing to take the path of engagement,” US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said before the vote to a strong applause.

At the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters that the U.S. abstained because the resolution "is an excellent example of why the U.S. policy of isolation toward Cuba didn't work".

The U.S.'s ability to advance interests of the Cuban people "is only strengthened when we remove the impediment of an embargo that's been in place for five decades, that did not work, and only effectively isolated the United States," he said.

Cuba-U.S. ties had been dormant since 1961 in a Cold War climate until they were restored on a diplomatic level in July 2015. An embargo, opposed internationally, has since been in place.

President Obama made a historic three-day visit to Cuba in March, where he said, “change is going to happen here”.

Although Obama has stated his intention to end the embargo and has issues executive orders to ease some restrictions, removing the full blockade requires congressional approval.