US Expels Cuban Diplomat After Shouting Match at United Nations

The confrontation began during an October 27 debate at the United Nations General Assembly over the US economic embargo against Cuba. US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz urged member states to reject Cuba's resolution against the embargo, according to Infobae.

The resolution calls for an end to the embargo. It is nonbinding, and Cuba has submitted it annually since 1992, according to News. This debate was briefly interrupted by shouting between the two delegations, La Nacion reported.

On October 27, Waltz was describing years of alleged corruption by the Cuban government when members of its delegation began banging on their table, according to NDTV.

Waltz and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez then exchanged angry words on the General Assembly floor, Times now reported. Rodríguez accused the US government of lying repeatedly during the annual debate, according to Infobae.

During the confrontation, Waltz repeatedly told members of Cuba's UN team, "This is America," according to Al Jazeera. He posted a video of the encounter on October 27, The Hill reported.

By October 28, the dispute had expanded beyond the verbal exchange. The New York Post reported that a Cuban official allegedly shoved and tried to assault an American diplomat who was recording the confrontation. That remains an allegation, not an established finding in the supplied coverage.

Waltz says the Cuban official accused in the physical confrontation will be expelled from the United States, according to the Times of India. The supplied reporting does not establish that the expulsion has already taken place.

Cuba has rejected the US account of its conduct. RT en Español - Noticias reported that Rodríguez accused Washington of staging a media spectacle and described the embargo as collective punishment. The accounts reflect sharply opposing positions, without resolving the allegation of physical aggression.

The immediate question is whether the announced expulsion is carried out. The New York Post reported it as a forthcoming action, rather than a completed removal.

The outcome of the embargo resolution is also absent from the supplied coverage. Although the measure is nonbinding, it was the business before the General Assembly when the confrontation interrupted proceedings, according to News.