United States diplomat responds to British MP on US blockade policy
Campaign News | Wednesday, 30 June 2021
Yael Lempert, US Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires to the United Kingdom, has responded on behalf of the US Government to a letter calling for a change in US Cuba policy from Grahame Morris MP for Easington and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cuba.
In May, Mr Morris wrote to President Joe Biden, congratulating him on his election and asking for him to reverse Donald Trump’s policies on Cuba and to encourage positive engagement with the island.
“Together with 58 of my parliamentary colleagues I have signed Early Day Motion 1550 in the
British Parliament which calls for international cooperation between Britain and Cuba, and
supports the normalisation of relations between the United States and Cuba by removing the
island from the US ‘state sponsors of terrorism’ list and ending the embargo,” wrote Morris in his letter to President Biden on 12 May.
Morris raised concerns about the suffering caused to the Cuban people by the additional Trump measures and the ongoing blockade which “impacted on living conditions, the availability of food, fuel and medicines – even preventing delivery of emergency COVID-19 medical aid during pandemic from third countries to Cuba.”
He also made a humanitarian appeal for President Biden to “reverse Trump administration
policies, and support Cuban families, especially in the areas of remittances, visas and family
visits, and hope that you will take action as soon as possible to ease these cruel and punitive
restrictions which are preventing families from reuniting and supporting each other.”
On 15 June, Yael Lempert replied on behalf of the US Government stating that the US was “reviewing the current policy with an eye to assessing the impact on the economic and political well being of the Cuban people” as well as “reviewing the recent decision to designate Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.”
Although the US diplomat wrote that she acknowledged “the challenges the Cuban people face as they deal with the pandemic” and “its economic fallout”, the US voted in favour of the blockade at the UN on 23 June, and their policies are preventing Cuba from accessing vital medical supplies to help with COVID-19 treatment and vaccination.
Rob Miller, CSC Director said
“Everything that can be done to alert the US to the deprivation and suffering that their policies are causing in Cuba during this worldwide health crisis is vital. We are grateful to Grahame Morris’s for and to the MPs who signed EDM 1550 for helping to put pressure on the Biden administration to reverse Trump’s measures against the island. The blockade remains the biggest hindrance to Cuba emerging from the COVID-19 crisis, and as CSC members and supporters we are committed to continuing to fight for an end to this cruel policy which has afflicted the Cuban people for almost 60 years.”
Full text of the letter from Grahame Morris MP
12 May 2021
The Honourable Joe Biden
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Biden,As Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cuba in the British Parliament I would like
to congratulate you on your election victory, and express my support for any change in US
policy towards Cuba that will help build constructive relations and encourage dialogue and
cooperation to benefit the citizens of both countries.Together with 58 of my parliamentary colleagues I have signed Early Day Motion 1550 in the
British Parliament which calls for international cooperation between Britain and Cuba, and
supports the normalisation of relations between the United States and Cuba by removing the
island from the US ‘state sponsors of terrorism’ list and ending the embargo.This Parliamentary motion echoes the concerns raised in recent letters sent to you by
Members of the European Parliament Friendship Group with Cuba and 80 Democrats in the
House of Representatives; that measures imposed against Cuba during the Trump
administration have caused unnecessary harm and suffering to Cuban families, exacerbated by
the COVID-19 pandemic.Under the presidency of Donald Trump, 242 new sanctions were introduced against Cuba,
including the redesignation of the country as a “state sponsor of terrorism” – an action
labelled as politicised and spurious by both US politicians, international observers and many
former advisers to the Obama administration on Cuba policy.The unjustified inclusion on the ‘terrorism’ list also prevents investment by foreign
companies which has taken a severe toll on the livelihoods of ordinary Cuba citizens,
including those trying to set up new businesses. In Cuba’s most recent report to the United
Nations it estimates that the US embargo and new measures cost the economy more than 5.5
billion dollars from April 2019 to March 2020 alone. This has impacted on living conditions,
the availability of food, fuel and medicines – even preventing delivery of emergency
COVID-19 medical aid during pandemic from third countries to Cuba.Trump administration policies have also separated families by reducing visa applications and
suspending commercial flights as well as prohibiting Cuban Americans and Cuban residents
in other countries from sending remittances home to loved ones, and stopping US citizens
from travelling to the island. These policies have caused suffering and distress to Cuban
families on the island and Cuban American citizens across the United States.I commend your pledge as a presidential candidate to reverse these Trump administration
policies, and support Cuban families, especially in the areas of remittances, visas and family
visits, and hope that you will take action as soon as possible to ease these cruel and punitive
restrictions which are preventing families from reuniting and supporting each other. A
humanitarian gesture such as this would be widely applauded and would undoubtedly
improve the lives of many Cuban families.On 23 June, the world will once again vote at the United Nations General Assembly on the
Cuban resolution calling for an end to the US embargo. In the spirit of international
cooperation I ask you to consider abstaining on the motion, as the United States did in 2016
when you were Vice President. This would demonstrate a clear break from the Trump era
policy of confrontation and aggression – to one driven by humanitarianism, compassion and
cooperation.Our own experience in the UK is that cooperation and dialogue between the UK and Cuba has
opened the door to constructive relations which have been beneficial to both parties,
especially during the current global pandemic. In April 2020, Cuba provided safe docking for
a COVID-19 stricken British cruise ship, the MS Braemar, and in August 2020 Cuban doctors
provided medical support against the virus in British overseas territories, one of the 55 Cuban
medical brigades working in 40 countries in the fight against COVID-19. For its own part, the
UK has helped with training and provided scholarships for Cuban students to study in the UK.This cooperation builds on the successful visit of Prince Charles to Havana in 2019. Cuba is
now looking to export vaccines, and in addition has developed several other pharmaceutical
treatments which could benefit patients worldwide.I believe that there are both practical and humanitarian reasons for the United States to work
towards constructive bilateral relations with Cuba, especially as the world tries to ‘build back
better’ after the pandemic, which together with the embargo and extra sanctions have caused
innumerable damage and hardships for the Cuban people in the last four years.The position taken by the United States at the United Nations General Assembly in June has
the potential to send a clear message to the world that the Trump era policy on Cuba is
ending, in favour on one looking to rebuild relations and open dialogue.Yours sincerely,
Grahame Morris, M.P.
