New York, May 17, 2018.In her statement at the Security Council Open Debate on "Maintenance of international peace and security: upholding International Law within the context of the maintenance of international peace and security," Ambassador Anayansi Rodríguez Camejo, Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations, pointed out that the transgression of universally recognized principles of international law threatens international peace and security. The unilateral use of force against sovereign States, intervention and actions aimed at imposing regime changes and unilateral coercive measures also undermine international peace and security.
The diplomat denounced that the US government announced its withdrawal from international agreements relevant to humanity, ignoring the commitments made and showing a deep disrespect for international standards. She regretted that the Security Council, due to the repeated hindrance of one of its members, has not been able to ensure respect for International Law and International Humanitarian Law in the assessment of the question of Palestine, particularly with regard to the massacre committed by the Israel army against a peaceful political demonstration, which left dozens of death and thousands wounded. She added that it is also unacceptable that the Council remains impassive when unilateral actions take place, such as the attack perpetrated by the United States and some of its allies against military and civilian facilities in the Syrian Arab Republic, on April 13.
In like manner, she rejected the attempts to apply concepts not universally recognized, which are intended to become principles of International Law such as: "limited sovereignty", "humanitarian intervention", "preventive war" and "responsibility to protect from atrocity crimes", used by virtue of domination agendas to conceal interventionist and aggressive actions
Rodríguez Camejo reminded that the United Nations must preserve and defend the International Law, and reiterated the firm commitment of Cuba with respect for International Law consistent with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and with multilateralism.
At the same time, she stressed that any United Nations initiative aimed at strengthening national institutions must respect the purposes and principles of the Charter; abide by the framework of the approved mandate; comply with the principles of neutrality, impartiality, State consent and national ownership, all without any political conditioning or pressure.
The highest representative of Cuba to the UN, added that the reform of the United Nations aimed at achieving a truly democratic and participatory Organization, with a transparent and democratized Security Council and a revitalized General Assembly, with a central role and weight and accompanying States in the sovereign construction of the future that each nation decides for itself, is an essential component to guarantee the preservation of International Law.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations