Cuba refuses US disaster aid but asks Washington to ease financing restrictions
Campaign News | Monday, 15 September 2008
Cuba sent a note to the US State Department on Sunday morning refusing an offer of $100,000 for disaster relief saying that it could not accept a donation from a government that imposes a blockade against the Cuban people.
However, read the note sent through the Cuban Interest Section in Washington, Cuba is willing to purchase necessary materials exported by US companies and thus, it requests authorization to buy these products as well as the credits that are common to all trade operations.
"Our country cannot accept a donation from a government that has us under a blockade, although it is willing to buy indispensable materials from American companies," the note read.
The document added that if the US government does not wish to lift the restrictions permanently, Cuba suggests that Washington ease financing
restrictions for six months, particularly taking into account the damages caused by hurricanes Gustav and Ike and that the most dangerous
months of the hurricane season are still ahead.
