Cuba Update. 17 February 2015

Britain celebrates freedom for the Five and Revolution anniversary

The Cuban Embassy in Britain and the Cuba Solidarity Campaign celebrated the release of the Miami Five and the 56th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution with a special reception at Bolivar Hall on 10 February. Hundreds of trade unionists, MPs, actors, artists and friends of Cuba heard a special message from the Five and from guest speakers including TUC General Secretary, Frances O’Grady, and Cuban Ambassador a.i., Teresita Vicente.

A full report of the event can be read here.

A photo gallery can be seen here and a short film with highlights of all the speeches can be viewed here.

The Guantanamo base, a US colonial relic impeding peace with Cuba

“All in all, the US occupation of the Guantanamo naval base represents an archaic colonial relic that is incongruous with a post-colonial era of independence and sovereignty.”

Can the US truly advocate for the reestablishment of relations with Cuba while simultaneously ignoring a territorial dispute that predates the economic embargo and remains of monumental importance? Timothy Keen and Paul Gioia explain why the blockade is not the only factor inhibiting diplomatic rapprochement between Cuba and the US.

Read the full article here.

‘The blockade has not ended’ - An interview with Josefina Vidal

Cuba and the United States are entering a new stage of diplomatic relations. How can these relations be constructed after so many years of confrontation, and what do the recent talks between the two countries mean? These were the questions posed to Josefina Vidal, Ministry of Foreign Relations (Minrex) Director General for the United States, in an exclusive interview with Cuban television.

“The President of the United States has options, I would say unlimited, to gut the blockade of its fundamental content.” Read the fascinating interview in full here.

Cuba shows the most solidarity of any country in the world

Bolivian President Evo Morales considers that even with the US blockade, Cuba shows more solidarity than any other country in the world, because “it shares what it has, not what’s left over, and when it’s most needed.”

Morales, was attending the Third Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and told journalists there that he remains convinced that “the Cuban people should be recognised at the United Nations as the country that shows most solidarity with the people of the world.”

A full report of his comments on Cuba can be read here.

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