Cuba Denounces US International Law Violations

Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Fidel Castro of Cuba. The two nations have a long record of solidarity and mutual cooperation., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Cuba denounces US international law violations

Friday, 24 February 2012 00:00

GENEVA — Cuba denounced on Wednesday before the World Trade Organisation the permanent violations of the US government to the regulations and principles of international law. Speaking before the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) in the WTO, Cuban counsellor Nancy Madrigal said Washington is still not taking the most minimal action to apply WTO resolutions and recommendations.

Madrigal mentioned the maintenance of Section 211 of the (US) Omnibus Law of Budgetary Assignments of 1998, despite the fact that the DSB decided ten years ago that this measure was not compatible with the WTO Agreement on Aspects of Intellectual Property linked with trade, and with the Agreement of Paris.

Madrigal said that Section 211 attacks the rights of Cuban brands, and one of its purposes is to facilitate the Bacardi firm the fraudulent and illegal sale of rum which is not produced in Cuba, under the name of Havana Club.

And while it infringes the intellectual property regulations, the US government shows its double morality and legislative incongruence with polemic projects such as the well-known Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa) that proposes strict sanctions against illegal piracy.

In another part of her intervention Madrigal said that the recently concluded World Radio Communication Conference ratified the illegality of anti-Cuban radio and television transmissions by US authorities, by means of the use of airplanes.

“However, Washington has not eliminated these transmissions despite the fact that they cause a prejudicial interference to Cuban radio and television transmissions.

“This is a clear pattern of transgressions against international law,” she stated.

She said that Cuba will not stop defending all its sovereign attributes and will keep on demanding that the US government fulfils its judicial obligations, as a WTO member, and as a member of the international community.

The Cuban declaration was supported by Angola, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela.

These countries made it clear that the US government’s attitude is putting in doubt the credibility of the system for the solution of differences in the WTO. — Prensa Latina.