THE Cuban Embassy and the Guyana-Cuba Solidarity Movement (GCSM) are calling on the United States to lift the trade embargo against Cuba.One year has gone by since the simultaneous announcements were made on December 17, 2014 by the Presidents of Cuba and the United States — to re-establish diplomatic relations between both countries and work to improve their relations.

According to the GCSM and the Cuban Embassy, one year ago, as part of the agreements reached to find a solution to issues of interest to both countries, the announcement of the return to Cuba of the final three members of the ‘Cuban Five’ was a promise made by Fidel Castro, who had asserted that they would return.

The Cuban Five, also known as the Miami Five (Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, Fernando González, and René González), are five Cuban Intelligence Officers who were arrested in September 1998 and later convicted in Miami of conspiracy to commit espionage, conspiracy to commit murder, acting as an agent of a foreign government, and other illegal activities in the United States.

Jailed since 1998, the final three of the agents returned home on December 17, when Cuba and the United States completed a prisoner swap as part of the deal in which they agreed to restore diplomatic relations after more than five decades of confrontation.

“On that same date, in accordance with our reiterated disposition to hold a respectful dialogue with the Government of the United States on the basis of sovereign equality, to discuss a wide variety of issues in a reciprocal way, without any detriment to our people’s national independence and self-determination, we agreed to take mutual steps to improve the bilateral atmosphere and move on towards the normalisation of relations between the two countries,” the Cuban Embassy said in a press statement.

“All of this has been achieved through a professional and respectful dialogue based on equality and reciprocity. Quite on the contrary, this year, we have not made any progress in the solution of those issues, which are essential for Cuba to be able to have normal relations with the United States.”

The Cuban Embassy noted that although President Barrack Obama has repeatedly stated his opposition to the economic, commercial and financial blockade and has urged Congress to lift it, this policy remains in force.

The persecution of Cuba’s legitimate financial transactions as well as the extraterritorial impact of the blockade, which causes damage and hardships to the people of Cuba, are main obstacles to the development.

LIMITED IN SCOPE
The Cuban Embassy noted that the steps taken so far by President Obama, although positive, have proven to be limited in scope, and this has prevented their implementation. By using his executive prerogatives, the President could expand the scope of the steps that have already been taken, and take new steps that would substantially modify implementation of the blockade, they said.

Meanwhile, President of GCSM, Haleem Khan, said it was time for the solidarity movements to reflect on what was accomplished in the last year and, most importantly, what actions need to be taken moving forward to end the embargo and normalise relations between the United States and Cuba once and for all.

He noted that February 7, 2015 marked the 53rd anniversary of the ongoing US embargo against Cuba, an island-nation 90 miles off the coast of Florida. The embargo, known among Cubans as “the blockade”, consists of economic sanctions against Cuba.

“Estimates place the cost of the Cuban embargo to the US economy at between US$1.2 billion and US$4.84 billion annually. A 2010 study by Texas A&M University calculated that 6,000 American jobs could be created by lifting the embargo,” Khan said.

Highlighting the consequences, the GCSM President said this has resulted in Cubans being denied access to technology, medicine, affordable food, and other goods that could be available to them if the United States lifted the embargo.