Strongly opposing unilateral measures by countries which impinge on the sovereignty of others, India has asked the United States to lift the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed on Cuba 46 years ago.

Intervening in the General Assembly debate over a resolution asking Washington to lift the economic embargo, Indian delegate Rajeev Shukla criticised the American domestic laws which prohibit foreign companies as well as foreign subsidiaries of US companies from doing business with Cuba.

The resolution, which is recommendatory in nature, has been routinely discussed and adopted by the 192-member Assembly for the past 17 years and ignored by the US.

Domestic US laws like the Cuba Democracy Act of 1992 and the Helms-Burton Act of 1996 have enhanced the territorial reach of the embargo, Shukla said adding that India supports categorical rejection of such laws by the international community.

He regretted that Washington has not respected the repeated calls by the Assembly against imposition of laws and regulations with extra-territorial impact and all other forms of coercive economic measures.

"Despite the repeated calls of the General Assembly, its resolutions remain unimplemented in contravention of world opinion," he emphasised, adding that the the embargo, through its extra-territorial effects, is adversely affecting the Cuban people and the development efforts of the country.

"Health care is particularly affected due to access controls on critical medical equipment, medicines,
technologies and diagnostic aids, apart from enhanced cost of supplies," he said.

The restrictions had an unintended negative impact on Cuba's efforts to provide assistance to other developing countries, he pointed out.

"Cuba's efforts to provide assistance to fellow developing countries as part of South-South cooperation has also borne the brunt of the embargo making this another unexpected indirect negative extra-territorial impact of the embargo," he added.

Shukla drew the attention of the delegates to the report by the UN Resident Coordinator in Havana, who has noted that the negative impact of the embargo is pervasive in the social, economic and environmental dimensions of human development in Cuba, severely affecting the most vulnerable socio-economic groups of the Cuban population.

Besides, the Indian delegate said the embargo has seriously affected the implementation of the United Nations system's projects and programmes in the country.

But despite the embargo, the US continues to be a major source of imports for Cuba insofar as permitted by the US Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000, he said.

"This only serves to confirm the potential for trade, commerce and investment between these countries," he said.

Thus, the embargo also has significant detrimental effect on US trade and business opportunities, Shukla said, adding that various efforts in the US itself to relax or lift the embargo indicate the interest, particularly in the business sector, for unhindered access to the Cuban markets.

"We, therefore, look forward to the lifting of sanctions and embargo against Cuba," he added.