Álvaro Padrón, advisor to Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi and one of the contributors to his speech at the UN, stated this Monday that the reference to "tyrannies" was indeed aimed at the Cuban government, despite the president's avoidance of mentioning it explicitly.
In an interview on the program "Desayunos Informales", from Canal 12, Padrón was directly asked whether that part of the speech referred to Cuba.
"The reference is clearly about not sharing the Cuban regime and wanting to differentiate speaking about the Cuban people from the Cuban government," he responded.
The advisor added that "he was specifically referring to the Cuban government," although he clarified that this conclusion is based on his interpretation from the process of drafting the speech in which he participated.
The clarification comes after several days of controversy regarding the words spoken by Orsi on September 24 during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
"We cannot remain indifferent to the pain caused by an endless state of war; the fear and suffering generated by organized crime; the constant threat of terrorism; the repression that arises from tyranny; or the suffering inflicted by the stringent economic blockade that the Cuban people endure," the leader stated.
The statement generated conflicting interpretations because Orsi mentioned "tyranny" and then immediately referenced the U.S. embargo on Cuba, but did not explicitly identify the Havana government as a tyranny.
Upon returning to Uruguay, the president himself defended the wording used. "I also spoke about the pain caused by tyrannies," he declared, adding that "sometimes it's not necessary to be so explicit" when referring to other governments.
Orsi also insisted that he had not specifically talked about the "Cuban regime" and summarized his position with the expression: "A word to the wise is sufficient."
The speech had drawn criticism from the opposing National Party. Its president, Álvaro Delgado, recalled that before the trip, he had asked Orsi to "speak clearly about democracy and free elections in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela," but he questioned why Nicaragua and Venezuela were not mentioned in the remarks, and in the case of Cuba, why the president chose to bring up the U.S. embargo.
Padrón explained on Monday that the decision was made not to enumerate specific governments because the list could be much longer, and he mentioned China as an example.
He also defended the explicit reference to the embargo on Cuba due to the broad international support for its elimination and explained that the situation in the island had gained relevance compared to the speech delivered by Orsi a year earlier.
The Cuban issue also has a strong component in Uruguayan domestic politics. Before the speech, the president of the ruling Broad Front, Fernando Pereira, had urged Orsi to denounce the U.S. embargo on the island at the United Nations.
The opposition, for its part, has demanded an explicit condemnation from the government regarding the political situation and human rights in Cuba. Among those voices is Cuban-born representative Leydis Aguilera from the National Party.
Padrón summarized the caution with which, as he explained, Uruguay tries to handle these definitions in foreign policy: “I wouldn’t use the word fear; I would use the word caution instead.”
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