Mr. Chairman,
On behalf of the Cuban delegation, I would like to thank all the members of the Special Committee on Decolonization and the rest of the delegations that have spoken on this issue, for the strong and valuable support given to the resolution on the question of Puerto Rico presented by the Republic of Cuba, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, the Republic of Ecuador, the Republic of Nicaragua, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Russian Federation.
It is also significant that the resolution has been adopted once again by consensus; that is, with the support of all the members of the Committee.
The numerous and appreciated statements by members and non-members of the Committee, including the statement made on behalf of the 120 Member States of the Non-Aligned Movement and the 33 Member States of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States are irrefutable proof of the support to the cause of the Puerto Rican people.
We received with great satisfaction the important contributions by the petitioners, whose number increases each day, and may determine that in the near future the time available to listen to them should be extended.
Mr. Chairman,
On this occasion when considering this issue, we have once again had the exceptional opportunity to have Oscar López Rivera among us, now as a witness to our debates and to our commitment to work towards the decolonization of all peoples who have not yet been able to exercise their right to self-determination.
The adoption of this resolution today is a tribute to the patriotic spirit of the Puerto Rican people and to the tradition of struggle led by their heroes, who are also those of Cuba and those of the Americas, such as Eugenio María de Hostos, Ramón Emeterio Betances and Pedro Albizu Campos, just to mention a few. For Cuba, this resolution is also a well-deserved tribute to the memory of Filiberto Ojeda Ríos.
To conclude, Mr. Chairman, we reiterate that the Puerto Rican people can always count on our solidarity. Cuba will continue to defend the legitimate rights of the Puerto Rican people to self-determination and independence with the irrevocable commitment to accompany them towards their final victory.
Thank you very much.