Cuba USA

US policy toward Cuba progresses ........with more isolation

by Iroel Sánchez

source La Pupila Insomne

translation Cuba-Network in Defense of Humanity

When on December 17 last year President Barack Obama achnowledged that the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed against the Cuba by the US has led to the isolation of his government. It was expected that one of the results of the position was the weakness of the support of the resolution presented by Cuba in the UN every year condemning the policy of economic siege toward the island. Some experts even predicted Cuba would no longer present this resolution.

How is it possible then that 188 countries supported the Cuban resolution condemning the blockade in 2014 and now reached 191 with the exception of the US and Israel? Not one member of the United Nations refrained from condemning the US blockade of Cuba.

The merit is of Obama and those who follow him in a policy that, instead of advancing decidedly in dismantling the regulations of the blockade allowed by law, with a few exceptions that require Congress approval, has preferred to decree twice (one on January 16 and another on September 18) of low reach as expressed by the Cuban Foreign Affairs minister Bruno Rodríguez in the UN: “although positive they only modify in a limited form some parts of the application of the blockade”.

As Bruno pointed out these current conditions very publicized by the media are impracticable but need to be accompanied by decisions that do not depend on Congress and that Obama can adopt such as allowing

Cuba export and import freely products and services to and from the united States; use the US dollar in Cuba’s financial international transactions and operating accounts in this currency in banks of third countries as well as access to credits and financing from private institutions and of from international institutions.

Even the proclaimed intention of Washington to increase its influence in Cuba through telecommunications and travels of US citizens, not tourists, clashes with its own policy when, as explained by the Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister, from the US retained its first payment to the Sprint company to begin direct telephone communications between both countries and several bank transfers to the Island for charter flights also were retained.

With an action that seemed to gather votes in favor of the Cuban resolution last week the US government applied a fine of 1 116 million dollars to the French bank, Credit Agricole, for Cuban financial transactions. In addition, in an attempt to attract the support of some undecided countries when the US representative in the UN explained the solitary position of his government adopting a veiled threat when he said:

“If Cuba thinks that this exercise is going to help things to advance in the direction that both governments have indicated, they should wait, they are mistaken”.

The result of this view. With media vocation US leaders perhaps thought to send us high ranking officials to Havana to tell the Cubans what they should do, by receiving the Buena Vista Social Club in the White House and smiling with Cuban officials they are going to convince the world that they will dismantle the blockade while acting more intensely than ever against Cuba but maintaining intact the extra territoriality that affect even the allies of the US.

“We should not confuse reality with wishes nor expressions of good will. In affairs such as these, can only be judged by facts”, expressed the Cuban Foreign Affairs minister. This October 27 in the UN the facts once again were imposed. The crushing vote has demonstrated that far from weakening with these very limited measures for Cuba for Washington since 17D to date, the isolation of the United States it its policy of blockade against the Island has strengthened.

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