Gilbert Boyefio , 04/10/2007
The Cuban Ambassador to Ghana, Miguel Perez Cruz, has criticised the
Bush administration for what he termed as "the genocide policy of the US
government against Cuba and towards the implementation of
extraterritorial laws contrary to the Charter of the United Nations."
He has therefore called upon all governments committed to the defence of
international law to vote in favour of the draft resolution to be tabled
by the Cuban delegation on October 13, at the UN General Assembly, which
as in previous years, demand the lifting of the economic, commercial and
financial blockade imposed by the US against Cuba, and at the same time,
reject any amendment or maneuver aimed at denaturalising that draft
resolution.
Speaking at a press conference at the Accra Embassy to solicit support
for their draft resolution, Mr Cruz observed that of all the US
administrations, it is the Bush's administration, which is doing
everything in it power to effectively enforce the blockade.
He further noted that the US blockade against Cuba under President
George Bush's administration has reached unprecedented dimensions,
including the intensification of a set of laws and regulations designed
to destroy the Cuban revolution and bring about a change of regime on
the island.
Mr Cruz alleged that Bush has promised to overthrow the Cuban revolution
before the end of his term in office.
"The blockade imposed by the US against Cuba for nearly half a century,
has as objective to surrender through hunger and diseases a people that
only hope to exercise its right to self-determination and defend its
sovereignty, welfare and dignity."
He said the extraterritorial nature of the blockade which has been
institutionalised and systematised by the Torricelli and Helms-Burton
Acts, aside from violating the international law and the sovereignty of
third States, has brought about serious additional damages to the Cuban
economy in its economic relations with third countries and with
subsidiaries of US enterprises over the last decade.
He said the Bush administration has unleashed an irrational persecution
against commercial and financial Cuban transactions, adopting reprisals
against businessmen, financial and banking institutions that have links
with Cuba.
It is estimated that in 2006, the damages to Cuba's foreign trade
exceeded $1,350 million as a result of the blockade. The direct economic
damage caused to the Cuban people by the implementation of the blockade
exceeds $89,000 million in almost 50 years.
According to the Ambassador, this figure does not include the direct
damages caused to economic and social objectives of the country by
sabotages and terrorist acts encouraged, organised and financed from the
US. Nor does it include the cost of items that could not be produced or
the damages derived from the onerous credit terms imposed on Cuba.
He said despite the fact that last year 183 member states voted in
favour of this resolution, which constitutes an almost unanimous proof
of the international community's rejection towards the blockade, the US
is adamant on its stand and has rather introduced further economic sanctions
"All these measures have been facilitated by the strict application of
President Bush's plan for the re-colonisation of Cuba and of the steps
identified in its revision on July 10, 2006, which included a secret
section on under-cover operations," he said.
Mr Cruz said Washington has similarly redoubled its efforts to incite
subversion in Cuba among those willing to sell their services for a
share of the $80 million plus earmarked for such purposes.
He said the Cuban people will never give up on either its sovereignty or
its right to self-determination and will continue progressing, in spite
of the blockade, in the improvement of a fair and solidarian society,
while offering its unselfish assistance to other countries all over the
world.
http://www.thestatesmanonline.com/pages/news_detail.php?newsid=4887§ion=1
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