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Information about the blockade 2004.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
ORIGIN OF THE BLOCKADE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 

 

6 April 1960:  Lester D. Mallory, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, pointed out that "most Cubans support Castro" and that "there's no effective political opposition", cynically adding that "the only foreseeable means to alienate internal support is through disappointment and discouragement based on insatisfaction and economic difficulties (…). Any conceivable means must be promptly used to undermine Cuba's economic life (…), deny money and supplies to Cuba, in order to decrease the real and monetary wages with a view to causing hunger, despair and the toppling of the Government."

 
 
 
 

 
24 September 1960: The US Government informs of the suspension of operations of Nicaro nickel plant, owned by the Government of that country.
16 December 1960: Eisenhower totally suppresses Cuba's sugar quota for the first three months of 1961.
3 January 1961: The US breaks off diplomatic relations with Cuba.
31 March 1961: President Kennedy totally suppresses Cuba's sugar quota from the American market for 1961 (3 million tons). 

 17 April 1961: The Bay of Pigs (Playa Girón) invasion takes place.

 
 
 

 

Late January 1962: The US engages in intense maneuvers at the OAS, ending in sanctions and the breaking of diplomatic relations of most Latin American countries with Cuba.

3 February 1962: Through Presidential Executive Order No. 3447, the full "embargo" of trade between the US and Cuba is put in place.  

24 March 1962: The US Treasury Department announces the prohibition for the entry into US territory of any product manufactured, either totally or partially, with Cuban-made items, even if put together in a third country.

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

July 1963: Entry into force of the regulations for the control of Cuban assets, prohibiting all transactions with Cuba and freezing the assets of the Cuban State within the United States.

May 1964: The US Department of Commerce enforces the total prohibition of shipments of food and medicine to Cuba, even though in practice these were no longer taking place. 

 

 
 

 

 

In 1991, for the first time ever, Cuba presented at the United Nations a draft resolution calling for the end of the blockade. Due to enormous pressures from the US on other countries, Cuba decided to postpone any discussions on the subject.

 
In 1992, following the enactment of the Torricelli Act, Cuba presented such draft resolution once again, adopted by the UN General Assembly under the title "Necessity of Ending the Economic, Commercial and Financial Embargo Imposed by the United States of America against Cuba." A resolution on the subject will be voted on next 28 October.
 
 
 
 
 

EVER-INCREASING OPPOSITION OF THE BLOCKADE WITHIN THE UNITED STATES:

 > Over 135 US delegations in 2003 (19 Congresspeople, 6 Senators, 3 Governors). In 2004, more than 50 delegations have been received (9 Congresspeople, 2 Senators and 2 Lieutenant Governors).
Ø
 > 85,422 Americans and 115,050 Cubans living in the US traveled to Cuba in 2003.
Amendment presented
Votes
1.   Freedom to travel to Cuba (B. Dorgan) in the Senate (23.10.03)
59-36
2.   Against the restrictions on the sending of packages and on the limit of personal baggage (J. Flake) in the House of Representatives (07.07.04)
221-194
3.   Elimination of the restrictions on family-related travels to Cuba (J. Davis) in the House of Representatives (22.09.04)
225-174
 
 

 
 
WHAT SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT THE BLOCKADE?
 

 
 
 
 

         1.

 

 

That it is the longest-standing economic, commercial and financial blockade in history. Over 10 US Administrations have already enforced, extended and further tightened it.        

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

2.That it qualifies as a real act of genocide.

In accordance with the Geneva Convention of 9 December 1948, genocide is defined as:

¨(…) those acts perpetrated with the intent to totally or partially destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.¨

Those acts include the ¨intentional submission of such group to conditions of existence that may bring about its total or partial physical destruction.¨ 
    2.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

         3.

 

 

3.That its objective is to overthrow the Revolution in order to once again impose neocolonial domination in Cuba.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

         4.

 

 

That 7 in every 10 Cubans have been born and have lived under the blockade. They have had to endure the hardships and constraints that this ruthless policy has imposed on its people.

        

 
 
 
 
 
 

         5.

 

 

That the economic damage sustained by the Cuban people through its implementation is already over US$ 79.325 billion.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

         6.

 

 

That it has an extraterritorial nature. It imposes the enforcement of US laws on third-country businesspeople and citizens.

        

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
WHAT IS THE BLOCKADE ALL ABOUT?
Eight prohibitions
 
 

 
 
 

 

CUBA CANNOT EXPORT TO THE US

Cuba cannot engage in any sales to US businesspeople.

In 2003, just to mention three examples, Cuba could have exported:

604,000 tons of sugar amounting to US$ 196.25 million.

35,000 tons of nickel, that would have amounted to US$ 450 million, and some 2,000 tons of cobalt for another US$ 75 million.

US$ 118 million in rolled and leaf tobacco, with only 35% of our total exports of that item.

 
 
 

 

CUBA CANNOT IMPORT FROM THE US

 

Since it cannot import from the United States, and having been forced to do so from far-flung places, until 2003 our country had sustained losses in the order of over US$ 18 billion.

 

 
 
 

 
CUBA CANNOT IMPORT FROM THE US
ONLY FOODSTUFFS AND ON AN EXCEPTIONAL BASIS

Since late 2001, Cuba has been able to purchase food from the United States, but with a lot of constraints. For example:

It has to pay cash and cannot receive any credits, not even from private companies, as is the common international practice. 

US companies are also forced into cumbersome bureaucratic formalities to be able to export to Cuba.

 
 

 
CUBA CANNOT RECEIVE ANY TOURISM
THE US PREVENTS ITS CITIZENS FROM TRAVELING TO CUBA

Over the last five years, according to conservative estimates, some 6.5 million American tourists failed to visit Cuba. That would have brought about revenues in the order to US$ 4.225 billion. 

The sanctions established for traveling to Cuba can be up to 10 years in prison and penalties of US$ 1 million for corporations and US$ 250,000 for individuals.    

 
 

 

CUBA CANNOT USE THE AMERICAN DOLLAR IN ITS FOREIGN TRANSACTIONS

TS CHARGES OR PAYMENTS IN THAT CURRENCY ARE SEIZED

 

Cuba is forced to exchange its dollars into other currencies when it comes to paying for imports and those who purchase Cuban products must do the same. This entails high financial costs through bank commissions (fees) and serious risks as a result of the fluctuations in the exchange rates.

 
 

 

CUBA CANNOT USE THE AMERICAN DOLLAR IN ITS FOREIGN TRANSACTIONS

ITS CHARGES OR PAYMENTS IN THAT CURRENCY ARE SEIZED

Over this period, the US Government has exerted a great deal of pressure on third-country banking institutions to curtail and thwart Cuba's financial operations. Recently, it imposed a US$ 100 million fine on Switzerland's banking entity UBS for engaging in dollar-related financial transactions with Cuba.

 
 

 

CUBA HAS NO ACCESS TO INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AGENCIES

THEY HAVE NOT GIVEN US A SINGLE CREDIT OVER THE LAST 45 YEARS

In 2003, the Inter-American Development Bank gave Latin America nearly US$ 9 billion. If our country had had access to only 1% of that money, it would have received credits amounting to US$ 89 million.

 
 

 

CUBA HAS NO ACCESS TO INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AGENCIES

THEY HAVE NOT GIVEN US A SINGLE CREDIT OVER THE LAST 45 YEARS

Last December, a Latin American government received financing from the World Bank and the Andean Cooperation Fund in the order of US$ 558.3 million for a construction program of 886 km. of roads and highways. With a similar credit, our country would have the necessary hard currency to: 

–Complete the National Highway;

–Repair and provide maintenance for all the streets in the country's capital;

–Repair and provide maintenance for the existing stretches of the National Highway, the Central Expressway and the North-South Circuits, among others. 

 
 

 

THE TORRICELLI ACT

In force since 1992

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 ATMs. 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. 

 
 
 

 

Recently, the US Department of Commerce prevented the Canadian subsidiary of PICKER INTERNATIONAL (a US company that manufactures X-ray equipment) from selling spare parts to our country.
 
 

 

THE TORRICELLI ACT

 
It sets forth that 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."

 

In order to avoid calling at Cuban ports, most vessels carrying goods into Cuba unload the containers in a third country. This compels us to forward them to Cuban ports, thus increasing the freight cost by US$ 500 per container on average and further delaying the delivery of goods.

 
 

 
THE HELMS-BURTON ACT
In force since 1996
 

It codified into law all of the blockade regulations. Since then, the US President has not been able (and cannot) change any provisions pertaining to the blockade without the authorization of the US Congress.

 
 

 
THE HELMS-BURTON ACT

 In force since 1996
Title I: It attempts to internationalize the blockade. It exerts pressure so that other countries and international bodies join such policy.
Title II: It establishes certain requisites to lift the blockade, some of which include the dismantling of Cuba's political, economic and social system and the return of nationalized property to Batista's former cronies. It provides for the funding of internal counterrevolution.
Title III: It provides for the holding of trials in US courts of law against third-country businesspeople engaged in deals with Cuba.
Title IV: It prohibits the entry into the United States of those company staff and CEOs engaged in business deals with Cuba. Their families are also prevented from entering the United States.
 
 

 

THE HELMS-BURTON ACT

In force since 1996

On 20 May this year, the Chairman of Jamaica's SUPERCLUBS received a notification from the US State Department urging him to cancel the management contract for Hotel Las Dalias, in Playa Pesquero, Holguín. He was threatened to have his and his family's US visas removed – and was also warned that, should Title III of the Act come into force, he could be prosecuted in the United States. 

 
 

 

SECTION 211

An item of the 1999 US Budget Act

 

It prevents third-country companies from filing lawsuits with US courts of law against American companies that use brandnames and patents illegally if these are related to business deals in Cuba. 

That prevented the filing of a lawsuit against Bacardí Co. for the illegal use of "Havana Club" trademark to fraudulently market in the United States a rum produced outside Cuba.

 
 

 

The Bush Administration has further tightened the enforcement of the blockade against Cuba
 
 

 
In late 2003, OFAC had five times more agents to chase after and investigate blockade-related violations than it had to track down Al-Qaeda's funding. 
 

 

Between 1990 and 2003, OFAC conducted 93 inquiries on international terrorism and 10,683 connected with travels by Americans to Cuba. While it penalized those found guilty of terrorism with US$ 9,425, the ones who traveled to Cuba received fines in the order of US$ 8 million.

 
 
 

 
 

In April 2004, two retirees from the State of Vermont, Wallace and Barbara Smith, were forced to pay a fine of US$ 55,000. OFAC accused them of having traveled to Cuba on four occasions, spent money on the island and written a book entitled "Bicycling in Cuba," published in  2002.

 

 
 
 

 
 
In early February 2004, Fred Burks and his girlfriend were notified by OFAC that they had to pay a fine of US$ 7,590 for having visited Cuba in December 1999.
Fred Burks, who has interpreted for Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, refused to pay the fine and now has a new, probably more serious, sanction pending.
 
 

 
 
 

 

Recently, the US Government fined Spain's IBERIA. The events go back to 2000, when the American authorities accused the airline of carrying Cuban tobacco on one of its aircraft stopping over in Miami on its way to a Central American country.

 
 

 

Cuba cannot purchase or lease any Boeing aircraft because they are US-made.
But it cannot purchase any AIRBUS airplanes either because, although made in Europe, they have more than 10% of American components. They can only be leased, but under abnormal and unfavorable conditions. The leasing of AIRBUS-320 aircraft cost US$ 2.1 million more than it would have cost a company from any other country. The leasing of  AIRBUS-330 aircraft cost an additional US$ 3.3 million.
 
 

 

Another sector seriously affected by the blockade has once again been the health system.  

ABBOTT, an American firm, refused to suppl