US Expels Cuban Diplomat After Confrontation At UN Debate
NEW YORK, Oct 29 (NNN-dpa) -- The United States (US) has expelled a Cuban diplomat following a heated exchange at the United Nations (UN), in a further sign of the deteriorating relationship between Washington and Havana, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
The man was a member of the delegation to the UN, a Cuban diplomat said.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said earlier in an interview that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had signed the expulsion of a man who had "pushed" a US diplomat and tried to attack him.
The confrontation at the United Nations came on Tuesday. During a session on an annual resolution against the decades-old US embargo on Cuba, representatives of the island nation loudly protested Waltz's speech and interrupted him.
Videos show the now-expelled diplomat apparently trying to prevent a person from filming him.
In a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the Cuban side described the situation and said the diplomat had been pressured by a US representative.
In his speech at the podium, Waltz had sharply criticised Cuba's leadership dating back to Fidel Castro.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez moved toward the lectern, whereupon Waltz addressed him with phrases including: "This isn't your communist dictatorship," and "This is America. Back up!"
--NNN-dpa
