Cuba condemns occupation of Iraq
HAVANA — The Cuban foreign ministry on April 24 strongly condemned the military occupation of parts of northern Iraq by the United States and its allies.
The statement said the occupation was being carried out under "the pretext" of creating a safe haven for Iraq's Kurdish population, and it demanded respect for the civil rights of the Iraqi population.
"Cuba will never condone such infamy", said the foreign ministry, "the same as it does not condone the violation of the rights of the Kurds and other Iraqi ethnic groups".
It described the clashes between Kurds and the Iraqi army as "painful and tragic" and said "nobody questions, nor could ever question, the need for the Iraqi government to respect the national rights of the Kurds and other nationalities".
The statement said the military occupation of parts of Iraq had taken place without any UN Security Council authorisation. Those responsible had committed "an offence against international law and against the UN Charter".
The ministry called for "prompt attention and help" to the specialised UN agencies, and to the High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) so that they could provide aid to the Kurdish community. It also called on Iraq to "provide the necessary facilities that will enable UNHCR to provide its services to the Kurds as soon as possible".
And it asked the Security Council to put an immediate end to the military measures by the US and its allies in northern Iraq, describing them as "brutal imperialist action". — Inter Press Service