In statements to the press, the Cuban diplomat said that the step taken
by the island, coinciding with the Human Rights Day celebrations, is
the result of a sovereign decision, without any external political
influence.

Perez Roque noted that the rights contained in both agreements are
widely protected by the national legal system and by the Cuban
Revolution policies since their implementation after 1959.

The Cuban Minister said his country will ratify with the signing of the
document its close cooperation with the United Nations Organization on
the basis of the respect to Cuban national sovereignty.

He said the signing of the international agreement was not possible
while the US government used the Human Rights Commission as an
inquisitorial trial to prosecute the countries which rebelled against
its imperial domination.

"This situation has radically changed with the emergence of the new
Human Rights Council, of which Cuba is a founder member along with two
thirds of the international community," noted Perez Roque.

The Cuban official also called upon the US administration to end the
criminal blockade against the island, close the torture camp in the US
Naval base in Guantanamo, extradite confessed terrorist Posada Carriles
to Venezuela, and release the five Cuban antiterrorist fighters
unjustly held in US prisons for over nine years.

Source
Cuban Agency News
La Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN) es una división de la Agencia de Información Nacional (AIN) de Cuba fundada el 21 de mayo de 1974.

Cuban News Agency