By Prensa Latina
Havana : Cuba has hailed the decision of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to drop the Caribbean island from its blacklist.
Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque Wednesday said the UNHRC's declaration, approved by all 47 member countries, is an indispensable act of justice with Cuba.
Roque told reporters that the verdict is an end to 20 years of US manipulation of the human rights issue.
The Cuban foreign minister said a cycle is over and Washington lacks pretexts to maintain the economic, financial and commercial blockade imposed on Havana for nearly half a century.
"They are hanging from the brush and we took the stepladder," he said, paraphrasing a popular Cuban saying.
The Geneva-based Council, at the conclusion of the fifth session Tuesday, decided put an end to the mandate of the personal representative of the UN High Human Rights Commissioner, France's Christine Chanet in Cuba. The country will no longer face scrutiny for violations, particularly within the field of political rights.
The Cuban foreign minister pointed out that the countries of the European Union did not dare break the consensus and voted for Cuba, which was initially backed by more than 20 delegations, to which he expressed gratitude for their solidarity.