The United States said on Tuesday that it will vote against a UN General Assembly resolution set for Wednesday calling for an end to the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba.
U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley will vote against the resolution this year to underscore the new Cuba policy launched by the Trump administration, Heather Nauert, the spokeswoman of the State Department, said in a daily briefing.
The new policy put greater emphasis on advancing human rights and democracy in Cuba, said Nauert, who also accused Cuba of engaging in human rights abuses which past administrations perhaps "have turned and looked the other way."
Meanwhile, Nauert made it clear that the veto was "a separate matter" from the alleged "acoustic attacks" against U.S. diplomats in Cuba, which led to an escalating tension between the two Cold War foes in recent months.
Last year, the United States broke a 24-year voting streak at the United Nations by abstaining from instead of voting against a resolution calling for an end to the trade embargo against Cuba.
The vote was seen as another turning point in the U.S.-Cuba relations since the two countries announced in December 2014 that they would work to normalize ties. The two countries restored diplomatic ties in July 2015.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced new restrictions that effectively rolled back Obama administration's Cuban rapprochement.
