FIDEL Responds to White House "Fact Sheet": "NOT A WORD ABOUT THE BLOCKADE"

[magbana]

(The leader of the Cuban Revolution responds to yesterday's news
in which Washington announce important revisions of restrictions
on the rights of Cuban-Americans to visit the island and provide
practical assistance to members of their families residing there.
Fidel emphasizes Cuba's continuing willingness to resolve various
disputed issues on the basis of mutual respect for sovereignty.)
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Reflections by comrade Fidel

NOT A WORD ABOUT THE BLOCKADE

http://www.cuba.cu/gobierno/reflexiones/2009/ing/f130409i.html

The U.S. administration announced through CNN that Obama would be
visiting Mexico this week, in the first part of a trip that will take
him to Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, where he will be within
four days taking part in the Summit of the Americas. He has announced
the relief of some hateful restrictions imposed by Bush to Cubans
living in the United States regarding their visits to relatives in
Cuba. When questions were raised on whether such prerogatives
extended to other American citizens the response was that the latter
were not authorized.

But not a word was said about the harshest of measures: the blockade.
This is the way a truly genocidal measure is piously called, one
whose damage cannot be calculated only on the basis of its economic
effects, for it constantly takes human lives and brings painful
suffering to our people.

Numerous diagnostic equipment and crucial medicines --made in
Europe, Japan or any other country-- are not available to our patients
if they carry U.S. components or software.

The U.S. companies producing goods or offering services anywhere
in the world should apply these restrictions to Cuba, since they are
extraterritorial measures.

An influential Republican Senator, Richard Lugar, and some others
from his same party in Congress, as well as a significant number of
his Democratic peers, favor the removal of the blockade. The
conditions exist for Obama to use his talents in a constructive
policy that could put an end to the one that has failed for almost
half a century.

On the other hand, our country, which has resisted and is willing to
resist whatever it takes, neither blames Obama for the atrocities of
other U.S. administrations nor doubts his sincerity and his wishes to
change the United States policy and image. We understand that he
waged a very difficult battle to be elected, despite centuries-old
prejudices.

Taking note of this reality, the President of the State Council of
Cuba has expressed his willingness to have a dialogue with Obama
and to normalize relations with the United States, on the basis
of the strictest respect for the sovereignty of our country.

At 2:30 p.m., the head of the Interests Section of Cuba in
Washington, Jorge Bolaños, was summoned to the State Department
by Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Shannon. He did not say
anything different from what had been indicated by the CNN.

At 3:15 p.m. a lengthy press conference started. The substance of
what was said there is reflected in the words of Dan Restrepo,
Presidential Adviser for Latin America.

He said that today President Obama had instructed to take certain
measures, certain steps, to reach out to the Cuban people in
support of their wishes to live with respect for human rights and to
determine their own destiny and that of the country.

He added that the president had instructed the secretaries of State,
Commerce and Treasury to undertake the necessary actions to
remove all restrictions preventing persons to visit their relatives in the
Island and sending remittances. He also said that the president had
issued instructions for steps to be taken allowing the free flow of
information in Cuba, and between those living in Cuba and the
rest of the world, and to facilitate delivering humanitarian resources
directly to the Cuban people.

He also said that with these measures, aimed at closing the gap
between divided Cuban families and promoting the free flow of
information and humanitarian assistance to the Cuban people,
President Obama was making an effort to fulfill the objectives
he set out during his campaign and after taking on his position.

Finally, he indicated that all those who believe in the basic
democratic values hope for a Cuba where the human, political,
economic and basic rights of the entire people are respected.
And he added that President Obama feels that these measures
will help to make this objective a reality. The president, he said,
encourages everyone who shares these wishes to continue to
decidedly support the Cuban people.

At the end of the press conference, the adviser candidly confessed
that ‘all of this is for Cuba’s freedom.’

Cuba does not applaud the ill-named Summits of the Americas, where
our nations do not debate on equal footing. If they were of any use,
it would be to make critical analyses of policies that divide our
peoples, plunder our resources and hinder our development.

Now, the only thing left is for Obama to try to persuade all of the
Latin American presidents attending the conference that the
blockade is harmless.

Cuba has resisted and it will continue to resist; it will never beg
for alms. It will go on forward holding its head up high and
cooperating with the fraternal peoples of Latin America and the
Caribbean; with or without Summits of the Americas; whether or not
the president of the United States is Obama, a man or a woman, a
black or a white citizen.

Fidel Castro Ruz

April 13, 2009

6:12 p.m.

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WALTER LIPPMANN
Los Angeles, California
Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/
"Cuba - Un Paraíso bajo el bloqueo"
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