| The US government is one of the three countries in | | | | to the government of Fidel Castro. Thus, under the |
| the world that have initiated and maintained the Cuba | | | | current circumstances, given the absence of normal |
| blockage. Specifically, only US, Israel and Uzbekistan | | | | commercial relations or transportation mechanisms |
| are the rejecting the voice of the United Nations | | | | between the two countries, "it is not practical or |
| General Assembly to seize this type of trade | | | | viable to speak of such transactions," the Cuban |
| treatment. More cases appear every year in the | | | | Minister of Public Health, Carlos Dotres, had said in |
| news regarding the US embargo consequences on | | | | 2000. This fact is further supported by the fact that |
| the lives of millions of Cubans. Food, medicine and | | | | there is currently great difficulty in purchasing |
| other important supplies are withheld from the | | | | products since there are no commercial flights |
| citizens of this island due to its political history and | | | | between the two countries and ships that dock in |
| recent communist upheaval that led Fidel Castro in | | | | Cuba are prohibited from visiting the US ports for the |
| power. But although the General Assembly of the | | | | following six months. |
| United Nations approved a resolution, condemning the | | | | Meanwhile, the regulations accompanying the decision |
| economic blockade that the US has applied to Cuba | | | | to streamline procedures for licensing purchases of |
| for more than 35 years, the situation remains almost | | | | supplies and health care equipment, rather than |
| unchanged. | | | | making trading more flexible, have in fact created |
| Some critics consider the Cuban resolution not only a | | | | more obstacles, according to local experts. The seller, |
| logical decision but actually one of great importance | | | | for example, must oversee the product until it |
| for the Cuban citizens' well-being. Health personnel | | | | reaches its final destination, which according to U.S. |
| reported an increase in some infectious diseases, an | | | | policy may not be linked to the Cuban government |
| increase in iron-deficiency anemia among pregnant | | | | or be used in biotechnological production under any |
| women and young children, and a rise in the incidence | | | | circumstances. The U.S. companies that Cuba has |
| of low-birth-weight babies. The Ministry of Public | | | | contacted, often back away from completing the |
| Health attributes these changes, to problems in | | | | sale when they realize that they must account for |
| importation of food supplies; and that the neuropathy | | | | the destination of their exports and who they will |
| epidemic, which appeared in late 1991 in Cuba, is | | | | benefit. |
| probably partly the result of nutritional deficiencies. | | | | After carefully studying and analyzing this county's |
| But in order for the Cuban situation to improve, a | | | | case, it is only logical to conclude that the United |
| company has to be able to invest in such a | | | | States embargo should not continue to force the |
| challenging environment without being excluded from | | | | Cuban citizens to search for another country and |
| tremendously important markets like that of the US. | | | | especially US as their new permanent residence. The |
| On the other hand, the possibility of Cuba making | | | | US will not act wisely by tightening further the |
| any product or service purchases, especially medical | | | | economic grip on Cuba as the opposite, according to |
| ones from the United States, will remain a distant | | | | business experts, can result in numerous advantages |
| "dream" as long as the embargo is in place, according | | | | for the US. |