Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez today proposed to the members of the Non-Aligned Movement (Mnoal) to speak out with unity and firmness to demand a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Speaking at the ministerial meeting of the 19th NAM Summit, the head of Cuban diplomacy called for a solution to the conflict that includes the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital and the return of refugees.
The Foreign Minister reiterated the island's solidarity with the Palestinian people, "who are suffering the terrible consequences of the genocide committed by Israel with absolute impunity".
Rodriguez proposed that the Movement support the urgent dispatch to the Gaza Strip of an international protection mission, authorized by the United Nations General Assembly, with the mandate to guarantee the security and protection of the civilian population, as well as to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and food.
According to a note from the Cuban Foreign Ministry, the Foreign Minister expressed his country's support for the convening of an International Peace Conference with the fundamental purpose of contributing to the protection of the rights of the Palestinian people, establishing the sovereign State of Palestine.
He also affirmed that the island supports the early accession of the State of Palestine as a Member State of the United Nations and South Africa's lawsuit against Israel in the International Court of Justice.
During his speech, he recalled the words of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, about the NAM and his efforts to change the system of international relations, "based on injustice, inequality and oppression".
"It is up to us now, together with the Group of 77 and China, to lead effective actions to address the legitimate claims of the countries of the South," he said.
Rodriguez reiterated the Caribbean nation's rejection of the application of unilateral coercive measures imposed against several member states of the Movement. He expressed his country's support for the right to free self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, as well as the exercise of self-determination and independence by Puerto Rico.
"Cuba appreciates the Movement's valuable support for its just demand for the end of the illegal U.S. blockade that flagrantly violates the human rights of all Cubans, and has been recrudesced to extreme levels since 2019," he highlighted.
In addition, he acknowledged the united position of the Mnoal against the inclusion of the island in the unilateral list of state sponsors of terrorism, "a fallacy that has a suffocating impact on our economy."
The Cuban minister wished the greatest success to Uganda, who will assume the chairmanship of the Movement, and congratulated Azerbaijan for its commendable work as chairman in the context of a complicated international situation.