Taken from The Guardian, Belize Written by Administrator |
Thursday, 02 November 2017 00:00 |
On November 1, 2017, the Cuban Government, for the 26th time, appealed to the United Nations General Assembly for a resolution entitled “Necessity of Ending the Economic, Commercial and Financial Blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.” The economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the Government of the United States against Cuba has been in effect for almost 60 years. While some restrictions were relieved under the Obama Administration, the blockade was not put to an end and it is now being tightened even more under the Trump Administration. The measures aimed at tightening the blockade were announced on June 16, 2017. According to Ambassador Lissette Perez Perez, this policy continues to be the only obstacle to the development of the Cuban economy and the full enjoyment of all human rights by the Cuban people. While the people of Cuba will be harmed, the effects of the blockade will also extend to the citizens and entities of the US whose possibilities of doing business with private individuals and companies in Cuba and exercising their constitutional right to free travel will be even more restricted. There is still fear among the banking sector of the US and other countries to operate with Cuba, even after the island was authorized to use American dollars in its international financial transactions. That has been translated into the ceasing of operations, the closure of Cuban bank accounts abroad, and the rejection of transfers to or from Cuba, even in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. The economic damage caused to the Cuban people as a result of the implementation of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba, considering the devaluation of the US dollar in relation the price of gold in the world market, amounts to over 822 billion dollars. The damages caused by the blockade during all these years at current prices are worth over 130 billion dollars. According to Perez Perez, the blockade is the most unjust, severe and longest standing unilateral sanction system ever imposed against any country. On 25 occasions thus far, the UN General Assembly, by an overwhelming majority, has been in favor of ending the blockade against Cuba. |