Washington, June 5 (Prensa Latina) The Green Party in California urged the United States government to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and to end all economic sanctions currently imposed on the Caribbean nation.
President Donald Trump reinstated Cuba under the arbitrary State Sponsor of Terrorism (SSOT) designation almost simultaneously with his reinstatement to the White House on January 20, reversing a decision made by his predecessor, Joe Biden, six days earlier.
“Cuba’s arbitrary designation has subjected it to new international sanctions and financial restrictions that further limit the country’s ability to conduct crucial financial transactions, such as the purchase of food, medicine, and oil to supply its national electricity grid,” the document emphasized.
Therefore, the Green Party of California “strongly urges the President to remove Cuba” from SSOT and to oppose “any legislation that seeks to prevent Cuba’s removal from said list.”
Furthermore, it resolves to urge members of Congress from California “to pass legislation that eliminates those aspects of the embargo (blockade) that have become law and eliminate all sanctions imposed by the United States against Cuba.”
At the same time, “allow the people of the United States and Cuba to travel and trade freely between the two countries, and oppose any legislation that seeks to codify the embargo, the SSOT, or other sanctions against Cuba.”
The text also emphasized the damage caused to Cuba by the economic, commercial, and financial blockade of the past 64 years, which impedes most Cuban relations and trade not only with the northern nation but also penalizes third countries.
“The consequences of this embargo (blockade) continue to inflict daily hardship and deprivation on the Cuban people, generating shortages of basic goods such as food and medicine, and severely restricting international financial and trade opportunities,” the resolution stated.
He also explained that the economic blockade “prevents Cuba from obtaining vital medical equipment and supplies, and even hinders the humanitarian response to natural disasters.”
President Trump, he said, has the authority to remove Cuba from the SSOT list by executive order.
The UN estimated last year that at current prices, the annual cost of this hostile policy is around five billion dollars.
On October 30, the UN General Assembly voted for the thirty-second time to lift the embargo on Cuba, with the almost unanimous support of the international community (187 of 193 countries) and opposition only from the United States and its staunch ally Israel.
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