Washington's Embargo on Cuba Not Effective, Isolated US - White House

The White House spokesperson explained why Washington did not support a UN resolution ending the US blockade of the Carribean nation.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States abstained from a UN resolution against the US blockade of Cuba as a demonstration that the decades-old policy of isolation of the Caribbean island nation did not work, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest told reporters on Wednesday.

"The [United Nations] resolution is an excellent example of why US policy of isolation toward Cuba didn’t work. It was in place for five decades and, as measured by actions within the United Nations, served to isolate the United States, not Cuba," Earnest told reporters.

Earlier on Wednesday, the UN General Assembly adopted a draft resolution to end the US embargo against Cuba. The United States has traditionally voted against the annual resolution.

In December 2014, President Barack Obama announced that the United States would begin to normalize relations with Cuba after more than 50 years of non-engagement and hostilities.

While the two countries reopened embassies in their respective capitals in July 2015, the congressionally-mandated US trade embargo on Cuba still remains in place.