By Dailenis Guerra Pérez on July 18, 2023
photo: Waldo Mendiluza Rodríguez
Heads of state and social leaders spoke out today against the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the government of the United States on Cuba, during the III Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) – European Union (EU), held in Brussels, Belgium.
During his intervention on the second day of the event, the Chilean president, Gabriel Boric, rejected the blockade of Cuba and the declaration of the Caribbean country as a sponsor of terrorism when referring to the policy of unilateral sanctions imposed by Washington against some nations of the region.
Before his peers, Boric expressed that “The blockade of the United States to Cuba does not contribute anything to the people of Cuba, let alone the unacceptable declaration of Cuba as a country that protects terrorism, which is not true. We have to reject this with great force”.
Similarly, during her speech, Venezuelan Vice President Delsy Rodriguez condemned as “illegitimate” the U.S. blockade of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Although in her speech she exposed the limitations to her nation, she indicated that “the blockade is a direct violation of the Charter of the United Nations.”
Earlier in the day, the president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, advocated the approval of a resolution demanding the end of the blockade against Cuba:
“This Summit of the European Union-CELAC, must approve a resolution demanding the end of the blockade against Cuba, the United Nations has condemned this blockade, as an arbitrary, obsolete measure, which condemns to sacrifice a people, who, could reach a high standard of living, without the limitations imposed on them”, the leader indicated.
For his part, Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel, thanked on Monday the expressions of solidarity of the Caribbean nations, “for accompanying us in our legitimate claim to put an end to the illegal and unjust blockade imposed on our people and for their firm condemnation of the inclusion of Cuba in the fraudulent and unilateral list of State sponsors of terrorism.”
During his speech at the summit session, he also appreciated “the tokens of support we received in this regard from European countries,” the Cuban head of state stressed.
Meanwhile, this July 17, the Brussels-2023 Peoples’ Summit began with the denunciation of the blockade among its first topics of debate.
At the Free University of Brussels, venue of the two-day forum, a panel with civil society actors from several countries addressed the nature of the siege applied by Washington for more than 60 years and its impact on the daily lives of the inhabitants of the island.
European, Latin American and U.S. legal, social, trade union and political organizations launched the call for an International Tribunal against the Blockade of Cuba.
An encirclement that violates, for more than 60 years, elementary principles such as sovereign equality, good faith and non-interference in the internal affairs of the island.
Dailenis Guerra Pérez is a Cuban journalist and contributer to Resumen Latinoamericano
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – Buenos Aires