Cuban Libraries Support Group

THE US BLOCKADE OF CUBA HAS BEEN STRENGTHENED

According to Dr Stephen Wilkinson, writing in the Voice newspaper, "While it is full of fine words and humanitarian rhetoric, the much-vaunted Bill to lift the ban on US food and medicine sales to Cuba will not ease Cuban people's suffering, and will even make the blockade worse :

The Bill allows for the sale of food and medicine to Cuba - but only if the deals are not financed by US banks or secured with US government-backed credits. Cash deals or financing by third-country banks will be allowed. But arranging such finance will make credits so expensive that Cuba will still find it more fruitful to source its food and medicine imports elsewhere.
The Bill leaves all other aspects of the blockade intact and exports from Cuba to the US will still be banned.
The Bill makes it impossible for any US president to alter current restrictions on US citizens who wish to travel to Cuba."

The US blockade of Cuba remains and has been strengthened by this Bill. The Cuban Library Support Group will continue to campaign against the blockade, which impedes the movement of books, journals and information into and out of Cuba.

Robert Kent and his Friends of Cuban Libraries (sic) have refused to say why they do not oppose the blockade. One of their members, Jorge Sanguinetty, regularly broadcasts in favour of the blockade.

Until the "Friends" condemn the 40 year illegal US blockade of Cuba, their claim to support "intellectual freedom" in Cuba cannot be taken seriously.

For more information about the Cuban Libraries Support Group, contact John Pateman at John.Pateman@merton.gov.uk

John Pateman is a member of the Society of Chief Librarians and has visited Cuban libraries in 1993, 1995, 1999 and 2000.

Last updated 11/12/2000

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