……………………….. One thousand, nine hundred and forty one vessels that had entered Cuban ports between July of 2008 and 2009 were banned from entering any U.S. port for a period of 180 days.

Cuban children suffering from lymphoblastic leukemia whose bodies reject traditional medicines can not be treated with the American product “Elspar” (Erwinia L-asparaginase), created specially to treat intolerance. Consequently, the life expectancy of these children is reduced and their suffering increases. The U.S. government forbids Merck & Co. to supply this medication to Cuba.

Cuba has not been able to acquire Gene Analyzer Equipment -indispensable to study the origin of breast, colon, and prostate cancer- which is manufactured by the company Applied Biosystem (ABI). Lactalis USA, a supplier of dairy products, was fined $20,000 by the US government.

Since the election of President Obama, there has been no change whatsoever in the implementation of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade against Cuba. The blockade remains intact.

Philips Medical failed to comply with the contract to supply spare parts for medical equipment bought at a total cost of $72.7 million, which were installed in Cuba and in Venezuela. Besides, that company was fined $200,000 dollars. This is a company from the Netherlands against which the US applied the extraterritorial precepts of the blockade.

Hitachi stated that it can not sell to Cuba an Electronic Transmission Microscope, which is indispensable for pathological anatomy studies; and Toshiba said the same about a Gamma Chamber and other magnetic resonance and high precision ultra-sound equipment. These are Japanese companies against which the US also applies the blockade.

One year ago, when Cuba was devastated by three hurricanes which caused losses that accounted for 20 per cent of our GDP, the Bush administration did not even respond to our request for American companies to be allowed to sell us, as a one-off exception, construction material, covers to replace broken roofs and grant private credits.

After re-establishing the right of all U.S. residents of Cuban origin to travel to the island, the irrationality of preventing American citizens from traveling to Cuba -the only place forbidden to them in the whole planet- will become much more evident. American citizens, who pay taxes, are not free to travel to Cuba, despite the fact that the constitution in this country allegedly guarantees that. American citizens are not allowed to receive first-hand information about Cuba.

Taken from a SPEECH BY FOREIGN MINISTER BRUNO RODRÍGUEZ PARRILLA AT THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY on October 28, 2009.

Why is the US waging a war of economic terrorism against Cuba? What is the US government of Big Business scared of? And meanwhile, Cuba exports medical care and doctors to needing countries throughout the world. What is your US ‘Health Care’ like?