As Moses brought the Israelite out of slavery from the lands of Egypt, So could it be in the days of President Donald Trump to finally free the Cuban’s from the unbearable blockade that has harmed them for many decades. This has been the dream and desire of the people of Cuba to also have a normal business relationship with the U.S government, just like any other country does.

The Cuban Republic is very hopeful that, the 2016 President elect of the United States Of America Donald Trump as many saw him during American elections as crook and undeserving leader, would be the nicest and selfless President America has ever had, and the only hope of  the Cuban’s to be saved from the long placed blockade.

Speaking exclusively to Newslinegh, the Cuban Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Pedro Luis Despaigne Gonzalez said, it is of his hope that the Foreign Assistance Act (1961) which authorizes the President of the United States to establish and maintain a total “embargo” on trade with Cuba and prohibits the authorization of any aid to the Cuban government will be revoke, now that there’s a new government.

Even within U.S. society, He said, there have always been an important number of sectors that have been opposed to the absurd policy of the blockade against Cuba. Their numbers have multiplied in recent years, reaching a maximum after the historic announcements by the Presidents of Cuba and the United States on December 17th of 2014.

The voices pressing for a change in U.S. policy towards Cuba are virtually unable to be counted.

The U.S. press has echoed these claims: media such as The New York Times and Bloomberg have spotlighted in their editorials the growing bipartite support and that of U.S. society in general in favor of lifting the “embargo” against Cuba. He disclosed.

They have even issued appeals to the U.S. Congress that it supports this new policy towards Cuba, based on the fact that most of the U.S. political and civil sectors, including those having Cuban origins, are in support.

Polls done by prestigious U.S. institutions such as CBS News, AP-GfK, the Pew Research Center, the Engage Cuba lobbying group and The Atlantic Council think-tank also confirm the immense backing existing in U.S. society in favor of eliminating that policy. All of their results show that on average, 70 percent of U.S. citizens support the lifting of the blockade against Cuba. Ambassador Despaigne reiterated.

This law which also establishes that US government funds destined for international aid and sent to international organizations may not be used for any programs related to Cuba has caused the people of Cuba a great harm in relating to the rest of the world and I pray this current government of the U.S could do something to ease our suffering. He Urged.

In the financial area according to him, changes have been made in the application of the blockade by authorization for the use of the dollar in Cuba’s international transactions and the possibility for U.S. Banks to be able to provide loans to Cuban importers of authorized U.S. products.

Nevertheless, these measures have not been able to be put into practice while the trepidation of financial institutions and of the U.S. suppliers themselves to undertake these types of transactions with Cuba persists, due to the risk represented by a country being submitted to U.S. sanctions.

 

Below are some of the suggested measures that the U.S. President could adopt to modify implementation of aspects of the blockade policy against Cuba:

 

1. To make it possible for Cuban entities (banks, companies, etc.) to open correspondent accounts in U.S. banks

 

2. To revert the policy of financial persecution against Cuba

 

3. To authorize direct exports of U.S. products to Cuban companies

 

4. To permit imports into the U.S. of Cuban services or products that are exportable items for the Cuban economy such as tobacco, rum, biotechnological products including such products that are manufactured in third countries that contain Cuban raw materials such as nickel or sugar

 

5. To authorize U.S. companies to invest in Cuba

 

6. To authorize U.S. citizens to receive medical treatment in Cuba

 

7. To eliminate the prohibition that prevents ships that have transported goods to Cuba from entering US ports for 180 days.

These actions according to the Ambassador show that substantial modification of the scaffolding holding up the blockade is possible if the President uses his ample executive powers and I am very curtained President Donald Trump is not wicked to lift blockade on Cuba.

The process towards normalization of bilateral Cuba-US relations necessarily needs to start with the lifting of the blockade which is the greatest obstacle for Cuba’s economic, commercial and financial relations with the US and the rest of the world as well as for the development of all the potential of the Cuban economy and the wellbeing of its people. Pedro Luis Despaigne indicated.

 

By: Blessing Roselyn Boateng

 

Exclusively Newslinegh