Cuba Rejects Again U.S.'
Strings Attached
Hurricane Aid
HAVANA - The Cuban
government has for a
second time rejected the
U.S. offer of post
hurricane aid with
strings attached, saying
Thursday that the
country will overcome
the situation.
The U.S. authorities,
who have had an economic
ban on Cuba for 50
years, said Tuesday they
were ready to send aid
to Cuba -- but only on
the condition that it is
accompanied by experts
to evaluate the damage.
In a statement released
Thursday, the Cuban
Foreign Ministry said
the country has plenty
of trained experts for
evaluation work.
The statement said the
White House had
expressed "its sorrow
for the damages produced
by Hurricane Ike to the
Cuban people, and
insists on sending to
the island a
humanitarian evaluation
team to inspect the
affected areas."
Yet "if the U.S.
government really wants
to help the Cuban
people, it should allow
basic commodities to
sell to Cuba ... such as
materials to repair
houses and to restore
the electricity
network," the statement
added.
Cuba's Foreign Ministry
reiterated its request
to Washington to lift
the embargo preventing
U.S. companies from
offering Cuba private
commercial credits to
buy food.
The United States
imposed sanctions on
Cuba in 1962, seeking to
deprive it of foreign
exchange and hasten the
end of communism. Asa
result Cuba, two-thirds
of whose foreign trade
had been with the United
States before that time,
was plunged into dire
straits. The situation
deteriorated further
with a 1996 U.S. bill to
punish foreign companies
dealing with Cuba.
Hurricanes Gustav and
Ike hit Cuba last week,
killing five people and
causing millions of U.S.
dollars' worth of damage
to infrastructure and
farmland.
Cuba has so far received
aid from Russia,
Venezuela, Spain, China
and East Timor.
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