A MESSAGE FROM THE CUBAN INTERESTS SECTION

http://mltoday.com/Pages/Cuba/InterestSection.html
Washington, D.C. - October 24, 2005

Dear Cuba's friends:

The economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United
States since the very triumph of the Revolution has caused loses to
Cuba amounting to more than 82,764 billion dollars. This figure does
not include the 54 billion dollars due to direct damages caused to
economic and social targets occasioned by sabotages and terrorist
actions financed and encouraged in the United States.

The blockade on Cuba is the longest and most cruel known to the human
history. It is an act of economic warfare, a fundamental part of
State Terrorism policy and it qualifies as an act of genocide.

It has extraterritorial characteristics since it illegally forces
companies and citizens of other countries to follow US laws;
formalized by the Torricelli (1992) and Helms-Burton (1996) Laws.

Torricelli Law prohibits Cuban commerce with the subsidiaries of US
companies in third countries. It also obliges ships from third
countries to wait no less than six months to land in US ports after
having landed in Cuba ports.

Meanwhile, Helms-Burton Law gives legal strength to all blockade's
prohibitions. It attempts to prevent foreign investment in Cuba and
assumes that the United States can decide on the sovereignty of other
States.

Last year, President George W. Bush has reached unprecedented levels
in his aggressive blockade policy against the Cuban people no matter
the repeated and almost unanimous will of the international
community.

Only in 2004, the United States fined 77 companies, banking
institutions, and NGOs for acts in violation of the blockade. Eleven
of these are foreign companies or subsidiaries of US companies in
third countries, such as Mexico, Canada, Panama, Italy, United
Kingdom, Uruguay, The Bahamas and British West Indies (Anguila).

On June 30, 2004, measures included in the so-called "Commission for
Help to a Free Cuba" report approved by Bush on May 6 of the same
year came into effect. More than 80% of these measures has been
applied.

Bush's plans on Cuba are led to destroy the Revolution, restore
capitalism and reinstate imperial domination over the nation. Some of
the above mentioned measures are: to asphyxiate the economy, to
increase restrictions on financial flow and travel, to create
obstacles to the ties between Cuban residents in the US and their
relatives on the island, to prevent all kind of exchanges between our
nations, and to encourage conditions that facilitate US intervention
with an eye to later annexation.

Despite blockade, Cubans' decision to never renounce their
independence, sovereignty and right to freely decide, has allowed
them to create a more just and equal society that cares about other
peoples all over the world, including the United States.

Each year since 1992, Cuba has introduced its draft resolution
demanding an end to the blockade. The number of countries supporting
this resolution has increased since then. Last year, 170 countries
condemned the U.S. blockade on Cuba.

This year's voting on the draft resolution will be on November 8th.

To read the whole 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 States of
America against Cuba" click here:
<http://www.cubavsbloqueo.cu/Portals/0/INF BLOQUEO16 x 21
INGLES2005.doc>

Best Regards,

Cuban Interest Section in Washington, DC.

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