./. WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/GC/79 
11 June 2004 
 (04-2540) 
General Council 
17-18 May 2004 Original:   Spanish 
 
 
 
STATEMENT BY CUBA 
 
 
 The following statement made by Cuba at  the General Council meeting on 17-18 May 2004 
under "Other Business", is being circulated to Members at the request of that delegation. 
 
 
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 The WTO was created to support and safeguard  an open and non-discriminatory multilateral 
trading system designed to raise the standards of living of its Members.  With regard to these 
principles, the second paragraph of the Doha Minister ial Declaration states that  international trade can 
play a major role in the promotion of economic  development and the alleviation of poverty. 
  However, for 45 years the United States Gove rnment has violated these commitments with 
the imposition of a unilateral economic, commercia l and financial blockade against Cuba which 
places serious constraints on the economic, cultural a nd social development of my country, creates 
obstacles to trade relations among states
 and jeopardizes the welfare of the Cuban people.  The 
resulting material losses are calculated at more than US$70 billion, or not less than US$1,600 million per year. 
 
 If there is a true commitment to the multilateral trading system and the WTO:   Why does the United States of America maintain  the blockade against Cuba and impose its 
laws on the rest of the world by means of the Torricelli Act and the Helms-Burton Act, penalizing 
entrepreneurs from other countries for trading with Cuba? 
 
 Why does it block the entry to its territory of  exports from Cuba of sugar, nickel, tobacco, 
fisheries products, vaccines, biotechnology pro ducts, computer software and other products? 
  Why does it hamper and impose severe restrictions on Cuban imports? 
 
 Why does the United States prohibit its citizens from travelling to Cuba?   Why is Cuba prevented from acquiring stat e-of-the-art technology and equipment for 
accessing the Internet? 
 
 By what right does the United States now c onfiscate payments by Cuba to third-country 
companies or governments for using the US dollar for foreign trade transactions?   Why is there a ban on the importation into Unite d States territory of products manufactured in 
third countries which contain Cuban raw materials? 
 WT/GC/79 
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 Why does the United States not authorize its banks to provide loans to Cuba or allow its companies to trade with and invest freely in our country?  Are these banks and companies not privately owned?   Why does it uphold Section 211 in clear violation of US intellectual property legislation and 
commitments and the TRIPS Agreement, and the blatant unlawfulness of which was recognized by a 
WTO panel?   Why does it impose severe prohibitions on maritime shipping to and from Cuba, by refusing to allow third-country vessels which put in at Cuba n ports to enter United States ports for a period of 
180 days under threat of inclusion on a “black list”? 
  On 6 May 2004, the United States Government, still dissatisfied over its failure to secure the 
collapse of the Cuban economic and political syst em, announced fresh measures to intensify yet 
further its economic war against Cuba.  These measures are geared towards strangling our 
development and reducing to a bare minimum the fore ign exchange resources critical to satisfying the 
basic requirements of the Cuban people in terms of food, healthcare services, education and other 
essentials.   The continued implementation of such measur es targeting Cuba violates the principles and 
objectives of the WTO, adversely affects the credibility of the multilateral trading system and 
infringes upon Cuba's rights, as well as encroaching on those of other Members of this Organization. 
  
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