UNITED NATIONS, Nov 13. The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution calling on the United States to end its four decade long trade embargo against Cuba.

The resolution, was approved by a vote of 173-3 with four abstentions — a larger majority than last year when 167 nations voted to lift the embargo. For the 11th straight year the UNGA has called on the US to lift the trade embargo

Only the United States, Israel and the Marshall Islands voted in favour of keeping the embargo, as they did last year. However, the UNGA’s resolutions are non-binding and they carry moral authority only. In his speech Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Munir Akram, urged the industrialized countries to reverse the recent trends causing slowdown of the world economy.

Akram underscored that “they (industrialized nations) must break the gap between rhetoric and reality, they must not only revive economic growth, they must also reverse their recent protectionist actions — such as higher agricultural support and tariffs in major industrial sectors — and send the clear signal that they are prepared to participate in the cost as well as the benefits of the global trade liberalization which they so vocally advocate, but so frequently violate”.

Akram noted “trade is a powerful instrument of development. But, trade — even if it is free and fair — is also a competitive game. The developing countries are, by definition, not equal players. “To be able to benefit from external trade, these weaker players must be provided a ‘handicap’ — viz-a-viz the developed countries,” he added.

Akram said “instead, the international trading system handicaps the handicapped. It discriminates against developing countries in several ways.”