Fikremariam Tesfaye
28 October 2009
Addis Abeba — The Republic of Cuba will submit a request to the Nations General Assembly today to urge the lifting of sanctions imposed on it by the US blockade since 1960, the Embassy here disclosed at a press conference yesterday.
The embargo inflicted harms worth more than $ 236 billion until December 2008, said Clara Pulido Escandell, Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba.
Today the Cuban government will make a request to the United Nations to put pressure to lift the blockade and call the support of the international community. The Cuban government calls on all nations including Ethiopia to give their support, she said.
Recently President Obama has said expressed his government will re-establish political dialogue with Cuba and also that he will lift the ban on the Cuban-Americans travel to Cuba. But till now no legal steps have been taken, she added.
The blockade is demonstrated by the US laws and regulations including that restrict trade with nations considered to be hostile, prohibited not using dollar in its foreign exchanges, Cuba can't use credits from financial institutions, it also prohibited the granting of any aid to the government of Cuba, control in general the export and re-export of goods and technology, and it prohibited companies that were subsidiaries of US companies in third countries from carrying out transactions with Cuba or Cuban nationals and the entry into US territory, as well as prohibition on exports from the US to Cuba, among others.
On the other hand, the Ambassador said, the diplomatic cooperation between Ethiopia and Cuba have become more strengthened. Currently many Cuban citizens are providing services in universities and health institutions.
The Ethio-Cuban relation has been a long history including when Somalia invaded Ethiopia whereby over 30 thousand soldiers fought for the unity and solidarity of Ethiopia. Among those 163 Cuban's lost their lives.
Cuba also contributed by providing scholarships to many young Ethiopians, to foster, train and qualify those children who lost their parents in that war of aggression. The long standing cooperation between Ethiopia and Cuba in health and education could register enormous achievements.
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