Sunday 07
September
2008, San José, Costa
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Cuba Urges US to Lift
Blockade
LA HABANA - Cuba
on Saturday urged the
United States government
to lift once for all its
economic, trade and
financial blockade of
the island state,
claiming that the
50-year-old sanctions
have annually caused
more damage than
Hurricane Gustav.
Following below is the
full text of a statement
issued by the Cuban
Foreign Ministry.
STATEMENT BY THE
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN
AFFAIRS
On 3rd September last,
at 4:45 P.M., the
Assistant Secretary of
State for Western
Hemisphere Affairs,
Thomas Shannon,
delivered to the Head of
the Interest Section of
Cuba in Washington, Note
Nº 646, which states
“its deepest regret for
the destruction caused
by hurricane Gustav” and
affirms that the United
States would be prepared
to “offer immediate and
initial humanitarian
assistance of relief
supplies to the Cuban
people through an
appropriate
international relief
organization”.
An identical Note was
later sent to the
Ministry of Foreign
Affairs by the United
States Interests Section
in Havana.
In said Note, the U.S.
Government also requests
the Cuban Government to
“allow a United States
humanitarian assessment
team to visit Cuba to
inspect the affected
areas to properly assess
damage”.
On Saturday 6 September,
at 8:55 A.M., the
Ministry of Foreign
Affairs delivered to the
State Department,
through the Interests
Section of Cuba in
Washington, and
simultaneously to the
United States Interests
Section in Havana, its
Note Nº 1866 conveying
its appreciation for the
expressions of regret by
the Government of the
United States due to the
destruction caused in
our country by hurricane
Gustav.
The Note also states
that Cuba does not
require the assistance
of a humanitarian
assessment team to
assess the damage and
needs, as it has a
sufficient number of
specialists, which
practically have
concluded that task.
The Note of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs also
expresses that if the
Government of the United
States is really willing
to cooperate with the
Cuban people in face of
the tragedy of the
hurricane, it is
requested to allow the
sale to Cuba of those
materials considered
indispensable and to
suspend the restrictions
that prevent U.S.
companies from offering
private commercial
credits to our country
for the purchase of food
in the United States.
A widespread public
debate has emerged
during the last few
hours in the United
States regarding the
position that should be
adopted by the U.S.
Government due to of the
severe damage caused by
hurricane Gustav in
Cuba.
During the afternoon of
4 September, the
Democratic Presidential
Candidate, Barack Obama,
requested the
suspension, for no less
than 90 days, of
restrictions to travel,
remittances and
assistance by Cuban
residents in the United
States to their families
in Cuba.
The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs considers that
the restrictions to
travel and send
remittances by persons
of Cuban origin residing
in the United States
should have never been
applied. It is not Cuba
but the United States
who deprives persons of
Cuban origin from the
exercise of this right.
If these rights were to
be returned to the
Cubans as a result of
humanitarian reasons,
there would be no way to
explain that said
prohibition, equally
unjust and
discriminatory, would be
retained for U.S.
citizens.
Now, when the Eastern
part of the country is
already in hurricane
watch as a result of the
threat posed by
hurricane Ike, as
powerful as Gustav, Cuba
reaffirms that, in all
truth, the only correct
and ethical action, in
correspondence with
International Law and
the practically
unanimous will of the
U.N. General Assembly,
would be to eliminate
totally and permanently
the ruthless and cruel
economic, commercial and
financial blockade
imposed against our
Motherland for almost
half a century. It
includes the persecution
of Cuban commercial and
financial operations in
third countries and
which, according to
conservative
calculations, causes
yearly damages higher
than those caused by
hurricane Gustav.
Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of the Republic
of Cuba
September 6 2008 |
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