Georgetown: Cuba can offer over 200 medical programs of internationally recognized quality to 47 health institutions on a yearly basis to approximately 15,000 foreign citizens. But the blockade denies U.S. citizens and in some cases citizens from third countries the possibility to have access to these programs, thereby infringing on their rights, according to Guyana-Cuba Solidarity Movement (GCSM) Haleem Khan.
This was one of the many points highlighted within the framework of the 33rd regular session of the Human Rights Council recently. At this event negative effects of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba were denounced and a call was made for its total elimination.
The 33rd regular session of the Human Rights Council takes place in Geneva from September 13 to 30, 2016. Khan explained that the repercussions of the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the United States on the area of Cuba’s foreign trade and commerce during the period between April of 2015 and April of 2016 amount to $4,106,878,558. That represents an increase of $255,962,129 when compared to the repercussions recorded in the previous period.
He said revenues not earned because of the exportation of Cuban goods and services to the United States or to third countries as a result of the application of the blockade policy constitutes the indicator with the greatest losses in this sector. Only in the period being analyzed in this report, Cuba has lost revenues of $3,149,284,420 for the aforementioned reason.
In the almost two years since the governments of Cuba and the United States decided to re-establish their diplomatic relations and to begin a process towards the normalization of their ties, no substantial changes in the application of the blockade policy to the National Banking System exist, Khan said persecution and harassment of Cuban monetary assets abroad as well as the imposition of other obstacles preventing Cuban banks from normally carrying out their international transactions persist.
As already mentioned, he said the government of the United States amended some blockade regulations during the period covered by a recent report. Among these are stressed the measures taken in March of 2016 in the area of the financial sector permitting the use of the U.S. dollar by Cuban citizens and banks for transactions with the banks in third countries. Its full application would modify, to a certain degree, one of the most significant aspects of the blockade. Nonetheless it is still a limited measure while the blockade continues to be in force.
At the time of writing the June 2016 report, Khan said no banking institution in Cuba has been able to make a financial transaction in U.S. dollars. The state of uncertainly also persists, even for banks in third countries.
“They continue to be victims of the penalties being applied by U.S. financial authorities with the argument of violating Washington’s regulations in terms of maintaining relations with Cuba….
In the communications and informatics sector, including telecommunications, repercussions totaling $59,208,700 were recorded,” he underscored.
He said the process towards normalization of bilateral relations between Cuba and the U.S. has made it possible to establish direct interconnections in order to provide telecommunications services with operators in both countries. But the application of the U.S. blockade continues to considerably affect the communications and informatics sector on the Island.
As for the tourism industry in Cuba, Khan said it too has experienced severe repercussions as a result of the blockade. In the period covering the period of April 2015 to April 2016, repercussions caused by this policy totaled $2,058,250,000.
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