Brasilia, Oct 20 (Prensa Latina) The José Martí Cultural Association of Santa Catarina, in the Brazilian state of the same name, demanded an end to US aggression against Cuba, which is considered today to be a form of collective punishment against the people of the island.
In a public statement, the organization, a member of the Brazilian Movement of Solidarity with Cuba, denounced the diplomatic pressure from Washington.
He also questioned reports about alleged US demands related to the continued tenure of Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel.
The statement alluded to a publication in The New York Times, according to which US officials had conveyed to Cuban negotiators that progress in bilateral talks would require the president’s resignation.
The Association rejected Washington’s pressure on countries and multilateral institutions that reject the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on the largest of the Antilles more than six decades ago.
He argued that the United States has unsuccessfully attempted to eliminate the leaders of the Cuban Revolution and warned that the current actions against Díaz-Canel disregard the sovereignty of the Caribbean nation.
Cuba, the organization stated, will not accept that in any bilateral negotiations the political system chosen by its population be put up for discussion, nor that the departure of its leaders be imposed.
In this regard, he defended the president’s continued leadership of the country and stated that Cubans will not accept conditions that violate their self-determination.
He considered that the difficulties facing the island are overcome by the resilience of its people, whose daily struggle, he noted, seeks to preserve national sovereignty and the Revolution.
He stressed that sanctions and other forms of blockade have direct consequences on the lives of the population.
These measures, he denounced, impose increasingly difficult living conditions and constitute a collective punishment that implies “a true silent genocide.”
mem/dsa
