Report by Cuba on Resolution 59/11 of the UN Gen Assembly

REPORT BY CUBA ON RESOLUTION 59/11 OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY “THE NECESSITY OF ENDING THE ECONOMIC, COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL BLOCKADE IMPOSED BY THE UNITED STATED OF AMERICA AGAINST CUBA”

Introduction

Extraterritorial aspects of blockade policy

Economic and social impact

Some of the ways in which the blockade affects the us economy, the us people and other nations

Conclusions

text in full

Both Cuban and US Citizens Blockaded

Havana, Oct 8 (Prensa Latina) The unprecedented escalation of the US economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba during the 2nd Bush administration not only causes social and economic harm to the Cuban people (more than $82 billion in the over 40-year-blockade), but seriously damages the US people as well.

Last year Washington augmented the extraterritorial nature of the siege in its attempt to destroy the Cuban Revolution, and applied more regulations, sanctions, and threats that limit the rights of citizens and businesses, both within and outside the US.

As only one example: on September 30, 2004 the Treasury Department declared that citizens or permanent residents in the US may not legally buy any products that originate in Cuba, including tobacco and drinks, even in a third country.

Such restriction includes buying articles for personal use only in a foreign country.


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Cuba reiterates medical aid offer to US Hurricane Katrina victims

Havana.

September 5, 2005


Cuba reiterates medical aid offer to the United States

PRESIDENT Fidel Castro last night reiterated Cuba’s disposition to help Hurricane Katrina victims in spite of the silence of Washington regarding Cuba’s aid offer.

Fidel met on Sunday evening with 1,586 doctors toting backpacks filled with medicine and essential equipment for treating people in emergency conditions like those in the region lashed by the hurricane in the neighboring country.

full story in english: here
full story in spanish: here

News from Cuba:

PETROCARIBE Historic, Says Fidel Castro

Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, Jun 29 (Prensa Latina)

Cuba's President Fidel Castro considers the PETROCARIBE regional energy summit beginning Wednesday "a historic meeting of great transcendence."

Soon after arriving in Puerto La Cruz, the Cuban president said the meeting of Caribbean countries with Venezuela is "a great success of Venezuelan policy and President [Hugo] Chávez."



Wearing his traditional olive green uniform, the Cuban head of State said he was "very optimistic" about the conference, but suggested the possibility of creating a Caribbean bloc is still remote, claiming "that's very hasty, things aren't achieved like that, they go step by step."

full story in English here
in Spanish here
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Cuba Hosts International Scientific Congress

Havana, Jun 29 (Prensa Latina)

The 2nd Symposium on infectious diseases, vaccines, immunology and molecular biology, among other issues, meets Wednesday at the 14th International Scientific Congress (CNIC 2005), to be run until June 30.

The event, taking place at Havana´s International Conference Center, brings together 600 professionals from 108 Cuban institutions and about 300 delegates from over 40 countries worldwide.

full story in English here

News from Cuba:

Fight Drug Trafficking, a Priority for Cuba

Havana, June 25 (Prensa Latina)


Cuba favors international collaboration on the struggle against illegal drug trafficking, Interior Ministry Lieutenant Colonel Guillermo Valdés stated at an international conference underway here on ways to fight that scourge.

Lt. Col. Valdés told Prensa Latina that this cooperation is carried out pursueing two main goals: exchange of information and operation experiences with police bodies and organizing specialized courses for those forces.

Furthermore, he said the island has organized some of these courses, with the participation of police representatives from the whole region.

The officer, who is attending the 3rd Conference on Drug Control in the Caribbean, now on session at Melia-Cohiba hotel in Havana, explained Cuban authorities grant vital importance to the international cooperation, based on shared responsibility.

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US Academics Call to Support Cuba

Havana, Jun 25 (Prensa Latina)

A group of US philosophers and sociologists has issued a statement at the end of a five-day meeting here deploring the Bush Administration hard-line policy against Cuba.

The document also demands the extradition to Venezuela of terrorist of Cuban origin Luis Posada Carriles, who masterminded the 1976 mid-air bombing of a Cuban commercial plane killing all 73 people on board.

The notorious terrorist, currently detained in the US just for violating immigration laws, is also the confessed organizer of bomb attacks against Cuban tourist facilities in 1997 and 1998. In one of the sabotages an Italian businessman got killed.

The academics also urged to lift the over-four-decade blockade of Cuba and to overrule travel restrictions imposed on US and Cuban-American citizens.

Full story in English here
Full story in Spanish here

News from Cuba:

Salaries Soar for More than 800,000 Cuban Workers

Havana, Jun 24 (Prensa Latina)

Cuban President Fidel Castro announced Thursday evening that more than 800,000 health and education workers here will receive raises in salaries as of July 1st

story (in English) here
story (in Spanish) here

Fidel Castro: Cuba Will Continue Fighting Terrorism

Havana, Jun 24 (Prensa Latina)

President Fidel Castro of Cuba affirmed that his country is in a position to continue the struggle against terrorism while at the same time developing economically and socially.

At the close of a meeting with health and education officials in which a salary increase was announced for workers in those sectors, the president avowed that the Revolution will continue elevating the quality of life for the population without abandoning the battle against terrorism.

Calling to mind the Havana conference on combating terrorism that took place a few days ago and brought together hundreds of intellectuals, human rights defenders, social activists, as well as political and union leaders from 70 countries, Fidel Castro said the country will dedicate the time necessary for everything.

The statesman noted that the conference revealed the criminal essence of the US policy toward Latin America and its regional attachments with military dictatorships and governments that cave in to Washington.

Full story here

Prime Minister with Fidel

The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Adbullah Ahmad Badawi was featured in a newspaper article (datelined 26 Nov 2004) with President of Cuba, Fidel Castro when he was on an official visit to Cuba, last year.



News article: Prime Minister and President

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was bestowed the Jose Marti Award by President Castro.