25 signatures reached
To: To the House of Representatives
OPEN LETTER: Call for Peace and Sovereignty for Cuba and the world!
For peace and sovereignty in Cuba and the world
We the undersigned express our grave concern at the escalating threat to peace and international law following recent US military action against Venezuela and at open threats made by the Trump administration against other sovereign nations, including Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, and Iran.
We the undersigned express our grave concern at the escalating threat to peace and international law following recent US military action against Venezuela and at open threats made by the Trump administration against other sovereign nations, including Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, and Iran.
In this dangerous context, Cuba once again faces a heightened menace to its sovereignty, security and right to self-determination.
We therefore call on parties in the New Zealand parliament to publicly:
- Affirm their commitment to international law and respect for Cuba’s sovereignty
- Oppose any threat of US military action against Cuba
- Condemn the economic embargo and oil blockade against Cuba
Signed:
Sandra Grey, President, New Zealand Council of Trade Unions – Te Kauae Kaimahi
Sandra Grey, President, New Zealand Council of Trade Unions – Te Kauae Kaimahi
Hon Matthew Robson, Barrister.
Brian Turner (Rev), Past President, NZ Methodist Church
Ian Powell, Health systems commentator and former Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists
Esteban A Espinoza, Chief Executive Officer, Aotearoa Latin America Association
Liz Remmerswaal, Country Coordinator, World Beyond War Aotearoa
Michael Treen, Spokesperson for Global Peace and Justice Aotearoa
Eugene Doyle, Journalist, Solidarity.co.nz
Why is this important?
Washington has moved to cut off Cuba’s access to imported oil and other energy resources, leading to increased blackouts andshortages of basic human necessities. “There will be no more oil or money going to Cuba - Zero!” US president Trump announced on January 11.
This callous approach is in line with decades of US hostility, including a 65-year economic embargo that has caused immense harm and has been repeatedly and overwhelmingly condemned in votes at the United Nations General Assembly. It threatens starvation, a policy which the 1998 Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court, classified as a war crime. New Zealand has signed and ratified the Rome Statute.
Cuba’s overthrow of a US-backed dictatorship in 1959 has earned it the ire of thirteen US presidents. But Cuba is no threat to the United States. Like all sovereign nations, it has the right to determine its own political, economic and social system, free from external interference and threats.Declaring Cuba’s readiness for talks with Washington, Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel described as “reprehensible…such an aggressive and criminal policy towards a small nation.” He asked, “What does it mean to not allow a drop of fuel to reach a country?”
We recognise that any attack against Cuba is a flagrant violation of international law, the UN Charter and would undermine regional peace and stability. As a small nation New Zealand has every interest in supporting the UN Charter, which recognizes the sovereign equality of all nations and protects their independence against large countries who threaten them.
You too can sign the Call for Peace and Sovereignty and say no to war and intervention.
Open letter distributed by Cuba Friendship Society, [email protected]
You too can sign the Call for Peace and Sovereignty and say no to war and intervention.
Open letter distributed by Cuba Friendship Society, [email protected]
Contact Matt Robson, [email protected]
Make a donation towards urgent humanitarian aid for Cuba through the New Zealand Cuba Society Account: 02-0159-0200303-00