WORLD : Cuba on U.N. Security Council
Cuba was elected today to the Security Council for the first time since its revolution 30 years ago.
Diplomats said Cuba’s election was a sign of increasing respectability and importance for the Communist nation still shunned by the U.S. government and subjected to a trade embargo.
The U.S. government, which did not openly oppose Cuba’s seating, said it hoped the Havana government will act constructively on the council. It called on Cuba to respect the Central American peace accords and not to interfere with military or covert aid in regional affairs.
The last time Cuba served on the council was in 1956, before its 1959 revolution. The only other time was in 1947.
Cuba was elected by the General Assembly in a secret ballot, along with four other non-permanent members of the council serving two-year terms. Cuba, which replaces Brazil, received the highest number of votes in the balloting--146 out of 156 votes cast.
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