Enough with threats, ultimatums, Cuba tells US

Miguel Diaz Canel

“Enough threats and deadlines against the Cuban Revolution. They could not, cannot and will not (work),” said Miguel Diaz-Canel, the President of Cuba.

Media reports from Cuba said:

President Miguel Diaz-Canel said: Cuba has had enough of U.S. threats and ultimatums.

The Cuban president denounced 60-years of U.S attempts to destabilize Cuba.

“Enough threats and deadlines against the Cuban Revolution. They could not, cannot and will not (work),” said Diaz-Canel.

The recent inclusion of the 1996 the Helms-Burton Act, a policy that allows U.S. parties to sue companies profiting from properties confiscated by Cuban officials in the post-revolution era, is the latest addition to the long list of sanctions enacted by the U.S.

Trump threatened in January to allow action on the controversial law suspended by all administrations since 1996.

Eliminating the suspension will open opportunities for not only U.S. nationals and entities, but also industries linked to foreign companies, particularly those allied with the United States, to file lawsuits against some 200 Cuban state-owned businesses already burdened with sanctions from their northern neighbor.

Diaz-Canel said, via Twitter, “The United States insults the sovereign nations by summoning them to be accomplices of their imperial policy, today they are going against Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, like yesterday against Iraq, Libya and Syria. Tomorrow, against who else?”

The Trump administration caused unrest and sparked criticism in the international community over the implementation of this act, especially among their allies from the European Union and Canada.

The international community will never cave to the archaic strategies of the Cold War, “that pressure, threaten, insult, lie and dirty with unscrupulous actions all the foreign policy of that northern nation,” the president concluded.

The nation’s support to Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, has been used to justify the numerous sanctions intended to destabilize the Caribbean island.

Helms-Burton Act will hurt the U.S. economy

The Helms-Burton law codified the economic blockade that the U.S. imposed on Cuba since 1962 and seeks to promote regime change on the Caribbean island. President Miguel Diaz-Canel has rejected the Act.

Miguel Diaz-Canel, warned on Saturday about the effects on the U.S. economy that Title III of the Helms-Burton Act can have if implemented.

The Cuban President pointed out the negative effects that the act would have on countries from the European Union (EU) and U.S. business partners in Washington.

“Many in the U.S. itself fear that the application of Title III will harm US finances; and cheers for learning from the failure of the Cold War,” the President tweeted.

The Helms-Burton Act, which was passed in 1996 by former U.S. President Bill Clinton (1993-2001), codified the economic, commercial and financial blockade that the U.S. imposed on Cuba since 1962; it aims to promote regime change on the Caribbean island.

On April 17, Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, announced the implementation of Title III, thus allowing Cuban-Americans to file lawsuits against Cuban and foreign entities outside of the U.S., a measure that is aimed at preventing Cuba from accessing foreign investment.

Faced with this situation, Diaz-Canel rejected the White House’s aggressiveness and affirmed that his country will not surrender to U.S. demands.

“We Cubans do not surrender, nor do we accept laws about our destinies that are outside the Constitution. In Cuba, we send Cubans. Cuba trusts in its strength and in our dignity,” the Cuban leader said.

The Trump administration has caused unrest and sparked criticism in the international community over the implementation of this act, especially among their allies from the European Union and Canada.

Cuban Workers’ Congress raises its voice amidst U.S. blockade

The Cuban workers expressed their solidarity with the Venezuelan people.

Over 1,200 Cubans participated in the 21st Congress of the Cuban Workers Confederation (CTC), which was inaugurated in Havana Saturday. Delegations from 30 organizations from Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa also joined the Congress as an act of solidarity with the Cuban workers.

During his speech at the meeting, CTC Secretary General Ulises Guilarte said the CTC has been working on issues related to employment and salary policies, payment systems, collective negotiation agreements and job training.

After highlighting the workers’ contribution to the Cuban development, Guilarte rejected the U.S. actions aimed at intensifying the blockade imposed on his nation almost 60 years ago.

He summoned the working class to a greater involvement in the country’s battle for its economic sustainability.

Mexico, China, and Russia all say they will fight Trump’s latest interventionist move in Latin America. The European Union and Canadian officials released a joint statement last week calling the “extraterritorial application of unilateral Cuba-related measures contrary to international law.”

At their congress, Cuban workers expressed their solidarity with the Venezuelan people and its President Nicolas Maduro, who has been facing the continual attacks from right-wing governments in the region in the form of attacks on the country’s electrical system and crippling U.S. sanctions.

Guilarte pointed out that the ‘First of May’ parade will be the best scenario to denounce U.S. policies against Cuba and Venezuela, what he called “criminal actions” not backed by any international law.

Those gathered at the congress also celebrated the 80th anniversary of the CTC, the Caribbean’s largest workers’ organization. Currently, the union has over 4.5 million members.​​

The congress also remembered late President Fidel Castro’s words regarding the working class and the Cuban Revolution revolution when he spoke at the 1959 congress.

“It is vitally important the working class understands the country’s future is in its hands,” Fidel said to the CTC congress held on Nov. 18, 1959, the year the Cuban Revolution took place. The then head of state asked at the time, “could Cuba’s destiny be in better hands if its workers are its zealous defenders?”


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