Jose Piedra, Cuban Ambassador to Jamaica, outlining his Government's response to new measures announced by the United States Government against the communist island at a press conference held at the Cuban Embassy, New Kingston yesterday.
-Junior Dowie photo
John Myers Jr., Staff Reporter
CUBAN AMBASSADOR Jose Piedra yesterday accused the United States of using heavy-handed tactics in an attempt to further destabilise his country.
At a press conference held at the Cuban Embassy in New Kingston, Mr. Piedra said: "With such measures, the U.S. Government is trying, at all cost, to increase the difficult conditions already imposed on us by a ruthless blockade enforced against Cuba for 45 years now."
In lambasting the new slate of measures announced on May 6 by U.S. President George W. Bush, the Cuban Ambassador explained that the existing embargo against Cuba, "has cost us US$72 billion and it's a flagrant violation of the human rights of the 11 million Cubans that they are trying to subdue through hunger and disease."
Under the new restrictions, Cuban-Americans will now be required to obtain special permits to visit Cuba once every three years. They can send
remittances only to immediate family, i.e. grandparents, parents, siblings and children, and are restricted from sending remittances or packages to family members who are part of the Cuban Government. There are also restrictions on the amount of money Cuban-Americans can spend on visits to Cuba and the number of visas given annually to foreign nationals who invest in Cuba.
Mr. Piedra said Cuba was on alert for a possible military attack, pointing to what he called increased aggression against the Caribbean island. He, however, noted that the nation was fully prepared for such eventualities as "every Cuban knows and has the ways and means to combat any force."
Cuba has called for support from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) states amid fears that the United States is planning a military strike of the Community state.
Cuba's Ambassador to St. Lucia Victor Ramirez told reporters that last week' s announcement by President George Bush detailing new policies and economic sanctions were aimed at overthrowing the government President Fidel Castro.
"It's part of a wider plan to annex Cuba, and we want the Caribbean people to know that the Cuban people need their support in rejecting this, because the only way the U.S. can be deterred is first by the resistance that they know we will put up and secondly by the support and solidarity that you can provide," he told reporters.
Meanwhile, Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, yesterday led a protest comprising one million marchers on the streets of Havana. The protest was against what the Cuban leader said was open aggression by the U.S. against Cuba.
Mr. Castro, in addressing his followers, accused the U.S. President of "attacking Cuba for petty, political reasons and trying to obtain electoral support from a shrinking group of renegades and mercenaries who have no ethical principles." He pointed out that the president "lacked the moral right to speak of terrorism..."
Ambassador Piedra admitted that the communist country was suffering from the effects of the restrictions by the U.S., especially with the downturn in sugar prices on the world market and the rise in fuel prices. He said the Cuban economy has been reeling from the negative effects as sugar is the main industry of the communist island.
As a result, he said, the Government has installed a number of new measures to cushion the impact of the effects of the new policies. Among the measures announced were:
Suspension of all sales in hard currency shops, excepting items of food, personal hygiene products and toiletries.
Optimum use of lands which was previously used for the growing of sugar cane the restructuring of the industry.
Priority on the export of agricultural products and orderly production of food along with increased use of animals in land cultivation and a reduction on imported goods.
More focus on investment instruments with and ability for quick amortisation with high returns.
Intense search for oil and natural gas with the employment of new drilling techniques and expansion in the production of nickel and cobalt.
The Cuban Government has, however, emphasised that there will be no restrictions on educational opportunities, including scholarships granted to Caribbean nationals to study in Cuba, and public health care.
Story supplemented by CMC report.
