New York [US], October 28 (ANI): US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz found himself in a heated exchange with Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla on Tuesday after Parrilla approached Waltz’s podium in the middle of his remarks and charged him with dishonesty.
The clash unfolded ahead of a UN vote on whether to condemn the US embargo against Cuba, long regarded as the world’s longest-running economic and trade embargo of modern times.
Parrilla has claimed that the United States is pressuring other countries to vote against any condemnation of the embargo, especially since recent fuel curbs have sharply worsened Cuba’s once-admired healthcare system, doubling infant mortality rates and putting millions of Cuban lives at risk.
Waltz used the whole of his Tuesday address to attack Cuba’s government as corrupt, noting that its leaders live on private islands and wear costly Rolex watches while shifting blame for the island’s difficulties, even as the US continues to block fuel supplies.
He held up an image of the late authoritarian leader Fidel Castro wearing two Rolex watches, each worth about $40,000.
“According to the regime’s own statistics, that would pay for 55 years of an average Cuban wage,” Waltz said, before showing a photograph of Miguel Díaz-Canel and adding, “It didn’t just start with Castro. This is the current Cuban President, also with a Rolex on.”
As Waltz spoke, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla stepped forward to the podium and accused him of lying, drawing a sharp “Back up” from the American envoy.
Parrilla interrupted the speech by raising a point of order, arguing that General Assembly rules had been broken. He referred to Rule 71, under which a representative may raise a point of order and the President must rule on it at once, according to the established procedures.
Waltz rejected the move, saying Parrilla merely did not “like” the points being made.
“He doesn’t like the hard truths,” he said as Parrilla advanced on the podium and kept demanding that the procedural objection be recognised. “You can come and intimidate all you want. I ask you to back away from this podium!”
Waltz then turned to General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman.
“Mr President, this individual needs to back away from this podium. He’s not going to intimidate me in the United States of America like he tries to do to political prisoners! I’m the representative of the United States of America. Back up!”
“You are a liar!” Parrilla shot back.
“Back away! … Do you understand who you’re dealing with?” Waltz warned while Parrilla continued to call him a liar. “This is the United States of America. Back up.” Proceedings were then suspended.
A video obtained by The Post showed Waltz spokesperson J.P. Freire being assaulted by another member of the Cuban delegation who tried to snatch Freire’s iPhone as he filmed the incident. (ANI)
"You are a liar": US envoy Mike Waltz, Cuba's foreign minister trade explosive barbs at UN
