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.