Press Release: Cuba is proud of Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace

New York, October 24, 2017. Cuba is proud to belong to the region whose leaders, in an unprecedented event, formally proclaimed it as a Zone of Peace at the Second Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) held in Havana, in order to banish once and for all the use and threat to use force in our region; declared the Cuban representative Attaché Yailin Castro Loredo, during the Thematic Debate On "Regional Disarmament And Security" of the First Committee, of the 72 Period of the UN General Assembly.

At the same time, she stood that Nuclear-weapon-free zones are an effective contribution to the strengthening of regional and global peace and security that must be respected. She remembered that Latin America was the first one Nuclear-weapon-free zone declared, with the adoption of the Treaty of Tlatelolco, 50 years ago.

The island’s representative pointed out that her country is committed to multilateralism as the basic principle of negotiations on disarmament and arms control, and recognized the importance of regional and subregional initiatives on this field.

Castro Loredo emphasized that States with greater military capabilities have an important responsibility, with regional and international security; being important in that context, the respect for regional and subregional decisions, agreements and treaties aimed at achieving peace and security.

The Cuban diplomat considered unjustifiable the breach of the agreement on the holding of the International Conference for the establishment in the Middle East of a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. The establishment of such a zone would represent a momentous step for the peace process in the Middle East region.

Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations.