Calling out the hypocrisy of the U.S. Cuban blockade
Calling out the hypocrisy of the U.S. Cuban blockade
by: Richard Grassl
January 14 2016
Ending restrictions on U.S. tourist travel and expanding U.S. exports to Cuba are both current legislative topics that are not likely to survive the rigors of a Republican-dominated Congress. President Obama's remarks on reopening diplomatic relations with Cuba were warmly received at the September 28, 2015, meeting of the UN General Assembly. However, statements from Pres. Obama officially supporting the elimination of economic sanctions have as yet to be matched by action. Instead, present U.S. law prohibits the use of U.S. dollars by foreign businesses to conduct transactions with Cuban entities including the government.
Crédit Agricole (CA), a French bank, has just recently been fined 694 million euros by the U.S. for processing transactions in dollars for Cuba. French academician Salim Lamrani adds that "Facing the threat of having all activity within U.S. territory closed off, the French bank had no alternative but to accept the sanction." His article appeared in Cuba's Granma newspaper on November 20, 2015.
Lamrani reports that "In 2014, the French bank BNP Paribas was (also) obliged to pay the U.S. an astronomic fine of $6.5 billion for maintaining financial relations with Cuba."
He emphasizes that "These institutions committed absolutely no illegal acts." And "It is President Obama, not Congress, who is responsible for this decision, clearly contradicting his UN speech where he promoted a policy based on dialog, understanding and respect for international law."
The use of economic blackmail to target legitimate commercial relations between France and Cuba through application of extraterritorial sanctions under the 1996 Helms-Burton law is a violation of international law. Washington's arbitrary attack on French interests represented interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign, independent nation.
More:
http://peoplesworld.org/calling-out-the-hypocrisy-of-the-u-s-cuban-blockade/