US Treasury List Revision Not Linked to US Cuba Policy Change

HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 25 (acn) The revision by the US Treasury of a blacklist of entities and individuals linked to Cuba was described as routine with no relation to the recent changes in Washington´s policy towards Cuba.

Granma newspaper posted an article noting that the decision by the Treasury to remove dozens of companies and individuals from its black list of "specially designated nationals" has been mirrored with exaggerated fanfare by international media.

The US Department of the Treasury on Tuesday announced the removal of dozens of Cuban companies and individuals from a blacklist of what it describes as supporters of terrorism and traffickers of narcotics.

Some of the companies withdrawn from the US list are in the area of tourism, such as cruise lines and tour operators. The blacklisted companies or individuals are prohibited from doing any business in the US.

However, the article published on Granma newspaper insists that the US economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba is still punishing entities from third countries, due to its extraterritorial nature.

The article recalls the fine imposed March 12 against Germany´s Commerzbank, which totaled over 1.7 billion dollars for having violated sanctions against Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Myanmar.

The revision of the black list is a routine process to exclude those entities that have disappeared or individuals who have passed away. But, the media outlets that reported the story did not check if such entities still exist or if the individuals mentioned are still alive, the article points out.

Those who thought that this was a far-reaching decision with respect to Washington´s policy of Cuba and particularly related to a substancial modification of the blockade, must stop to read what a US official with the Treasury anonymously said to the Associated Press.

She said that the removal is due to an internal revision of old designations related to Cuba and it is not lined to recent changes announced by president Obama.

The article concludes by noting that what was not said by the official or by the media was that the blockade against Cuba is intact and continues to affect more than 11 million Cubans and thousands of companies and entities in Cuba an in third countries.