PM says Antigua changed Cuba embargo vote due to ongoing visa talks with US

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Prime Minister Gaston Browne says the Antigua and Barbuda government changed its intended support for a United Nations resolution concerning Cuba following a warning from the United States about the possible effect on ongoing negotiations regarding visas for nationals wanting to visit the North American country.

“In fact, I’ll make this public. We had decided to support Cuba on a resolution recently and changed our position because we had a call from the State Department advising us that they’re making progress in the negotiations and if we supported Cuba, that it would undermine the negotiations, so we changed our position,” Browne told listeners to his weekly radio programme.

Related coverageJamaica Breaks With Decades of Support by Abstaining on Cuba Embargo Vote16 reports

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“Our instructions to the ambassador in New York were to abstain. I noticed he did not show up, I don’t know what happened, but we changed our position because of certain things that were said and we’re still trying, but it’s not something we have any control over,” he added.