Lifting Anti-Cuba Sanctions Step in Right Direction, Yet Many Sanctions Remain - Havana
MOSCOW, 15 January 2025 (RIA Novosti) - Partial lifting of US sanctions against Cuba and the removal of the country from the list of state sponsors of terrorism may be a step in the right direction; however, dozens of sanctions remain in place, violating the rights of the island's population, the Cuban Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
A senior US administration official said on Tuesday that US President Joe Biden, in the final days of his presidency, will notify Congress of his decision to lift the "state sponsor of terrorism" designation for Cuba.
"Despite its limited scope, this is a decision that points to the right direction and is in line with the sustained and firm demand by the government and the people of Cuba." .. This decision puts an end to specific coercive measures that, together with many others, seriously damage the Cuban economy and have a severe impact on the population," the ministry said in a statement.
Apart from taking the country off the state sponsors of terrorism list, the US also intends to use the president's powers to halt any court proceedings under the Helms-Burton Act on the protection of US properties nationalized in Cuba and eliminate the list of Cuban entities with which US individuals or businesses cannot conduct financial operations, the statement read.
"It is important to point out that the economic blockade and a large part of the tens of coercive measures entered into force since 2017 to further strengthen it still remain in force, with their full extraterritorial impact and in violation of International Law and the human rights of all Cubans," the ministry added.
The impact of the blockade includes, among other things, prevention of legal medical cooperation between Cuba and its partners, obstruction of Cuba's oil imports, and threats to vessels sailing to Cuban ports, the statement continued.
"The economic warfare is still in place and persists in posing a major obstacle to the development and recovery of the Cuban economy, with a high human cost for the population; and continues to be an incentive for emigration," the ministry said.
Since 1992, the UN General Assembly has annually adopted a resolution demanding an end to unilateral US restrictions on Cuba, with the document having the support of a majority of UN member states.
Unlike those of the UN Security Council, resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly are nonbinding.
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