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| Friday, 22 October 2004 |
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by P. Krishnaswamy Cuban Ambassador in Colombo, Ms Enna Viant, explained at a press conference the extreme difficulties her country was going through as a result of the long-standing economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on them by the United States. The blockade imposed 45 years ago against their revolution assumed grave dimensions after the collapse of the socialist block, she said. Ten successive US administrations, including the much acclaimed John Kennedy administration, never cared to lift the barbaric blockade which could be termed as a deliberate 'genocide', she said. Seven in every 10 Cubans have born and lived under this neocolonial cruelty. Had it not been for this blockade, 100,000 new houses would have come up in Cuba every year and a total of 2.5 million Cubans would have moved into them, she said. She also said that the total losses and damage to the Cuban economy due to the blockade was to the tune of US $ 79,325.2 million. Major losses were incurred due to income not earned for exports and services and geographic relocation of trade, she said. Further explaining the multi-faceted losses suffered by Cuba due to draconian laws and attitudes of the US she said: "Under the US 'Torricelli Act', third country vessels are forced to wait no less than 6 months to call at US ports after having called at Cuban ports, under the threat of being 'blacklisted'. As such most vessels carrying goods into Cuba unload the containers in a third country. This costs Cuba an additional freight cost of US $ 500 per container and delay in the delivery of goods. "It prevents Cuba's trade with subsidiaries of US companies based in third countries. In 1997, a contract was signed with France's BULL to purchase more than 400 AMs. However, only 90 were bought because in early 2000 BULL sold DIEBOLD, an American company, the facility where such ATMs were manufactured and the latter cancelled its sale to Cuba. " The Helms-Burton Act in force since 1996 codified into law all of the blockade regulations. Since then, the US President has not been able to change any provisions pertaining to the blockade without the authorization of the US Congress." |
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