By Pat Brewer
2001 has been declared as the year of international solidarity against
the 41-year US economic, financial and trade blockade, the Cuban Adjustment
Act and all the supporting laws and regulations designed to isolate Cuba
economically and politically in order to destroy the Cuban Revolution.
This decision was taken in the final resolution of the 2nd World Meeting
of Friendship and Solidarity with Cuba held in Havana, November 10-14,
2000 by 4347 delegates from 118 countries.
The event was a huge success, demonstrating international solidarity
with Cuba and condemnation of the US blockade. It was especially important
given the impact of what has been called the special period ... the period
that began 10 years before with the collapse of the socialist bloc of Eastern
Europe and the USSR. These had been Cuba's main trading partners and the
loss of trade, coupled with a tightening of the US blockade, hurled Cuba
into an economic and financial crisis of massive proportions.
Fuel, food, raw materials, machinery parts and other necessary supplies
were almost completely cut off. The daily calorie intake dropped from 3000
to 1900. Desperate shortages of milk products threatened the health of
children. In this context the US blockade, which denies even medical emergency
service help for Cuba, was exposed more starkly as an undeclared economic
war on the Cuban people.
The 2nd World Meeting marked the progress of the steps taken by Cuba
to overcome these obstacles and to rebuild its economy through tourism,
to re-establish industries and to ensure the daily provision of food to
sustainable dietary levels. This progress has been made without cuts or
the privatisation of basic social services such as free education at all
levels and free health care.
In some cases advances have been made such as reducing infant mortality
by 40% so that it now stands at 6.2 per 1000 live births (markedly better
in comparison to the Latin American average of 33 or even the US figure
of eight).
Neither has the international aid and support Cuba gives the Third World
been reduced. Much of this aid takes the form of free training for doctors
and medical professionals at Cuban institutions but also extends to educational
and medical services sent to other countries in need. Cuba currently has
more than 2000 health professionals working in 57 countries.
Another major step marked at the World Meeting was the isolation of
US policy in the United Nations General Assembly vote of condemnation of
the blockade over the past nine years which has grown from 59 in support
in 1992 to 167 in 2000.
Breaking down propaganda
Within the US itself, the case of the six-year-old boy Elian Gonzalez broke
down some of the lies and propaganda about Cuba and exposed some of the
ways immigration is used by the US government as a weapon against Cuba.
The US's 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act grants Cubans the right to remain in
the US once they reach US jurisdiction.
This does not, however, mean that residency visas are given to those
Cubans who wish to come to the US -- any visas, even tourist visas, are
handed out sparingly after a long and complicated procedure.
Instead, residency is automatically given to any Cuban who comes illegally
by boat, by hijacking or by paying large amounts of cash to people-smugglers,
despite US immigration law provisions prohibiting the granting of legal
status to people who commit crimes such as entering the US illegally. Any
other illegal entry such as from Mexico, Haiti or Central America leads
to immediate repatriation, even if return means death or torture.
When Elian's mother and 10 others drowned in the dangerous sea trip
to Florida in 1999, US authorities immediately put the boy in the custody
of distant relatives in Miami whom he had never met, instead of returning
him to his father and family in Cuba, as required by international law.
After a seven-month battle, supported by massive mobilisations in Cuba
and by 71% favourable polls in the US, Elian was returned to his father
and repatriated.
The growth in tourism has also broken down hostile Cold War propaganda
about Cuba. People can see for themselves the reality of life in Cuba.
And many US citizens have defied their government's ban on travel to Cuba,
as was demonstrated by the 600-strong US delegation at the World Meeting
-- the largest delegation.
Blockade strengthened
But the major message of the meeting, reflected in the adoption of 2001
as the year of solidarity against the blockade, was to denounce the repeated
statement by the US that steps had been taken recently to loosen the economic,
financial and trade blockade.
These steps, while creating the illusion of easing the blockade, have
instead tightened it further. This is despite six overwhelmingly favourable
votes in changing US policy towards Cuba to allow, for example, the sale
of food and medicines to Cuba or to enable Americans to freely travel to
Cuba.
However, the relevant clauses disappeared or were changed in the final
draft of the legislation whilst new amendments which actually tightened
the blockade were inserted.
While the legislation allegedly authorises US companies to sell food
and medicines to Cuba, it has done so under such restrictions and obstacles
which render the implementation of such activities practically impossible.
These restrictions include:
* complex, bureaucratic license-granting procedures;
* the prohibition of any kind of sale-related government assistance
or even private financing;
* the ban on the import of Cuban made products as payment;
* the ban on maritime and air transportation between both countries;
* the ban on direct relations between US and Cuban banking institutions;
* the prohibition preventing Cuba from using the US dollar in its foreign
trade transactions; and
* the express bar under law of US citizens from freely traveling to
Cuba. Previously the president had had a prerogative to authorise travel
but this has now been removed.
Under such circumstances the need for increased international pressure
on the US blockade is an act of solidarity with the right of the Cuban
people to decide their own future without interference or aggression and
to choose their own model of social, economic and political development.
