PT-Brazil asks to exclude Cuba from unilateral terrorism list

Brasilia, Jul 5 (RHC) Brazil's Workers' Party (PT) called for the exclusion of Cuba from the unilateral list of countries that sponsor terrorism and condemned the U.S. blockade that today more than ever weighs on the island.

The inclusion in this spurious list by the "Government of the United States represents an unfounded and unjust attack against the Cuban people", indicates a PT note published on its web site.

It denounces that "the Caribbean Island, internationally recognized for its commitment to solidarity and social equality, has been subjected to constant pressures and economic sanctions that suffocate its economy and seriously damage the rights and quality of life of its population".

The political organization, the one with the largest left-wing militancy in Latin America, expresses "its total repudiation of such measures, understanding them as flagrant violations to the sovereignty and self-determination of a country that has historically resisted external impositions in defense of its dignity and independence".

As the world faces ever greater social and economic challenges, the text indicates, it is essential that ties of cooperation and fraternity among nations be strengthened, instead of intensifying blockades and unilateral measures that only deepen inequalities and increase the suffering of the most vulnerable.

"The PT stands in solidarity with Cuba and reiterates its commitment to the defense of the principles of peace, social justice and international cooperation as the only solid bases for the construction of a more just and solidary world," the text stresses.

Finally, the party founded by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reaffirms its unconditional support to the Cuban people "who deserve to be recognized and respected for their trajectory of struggle and solidarity".

At the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), held in March in Kingstown, capital of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Lula defended the need to end the U.S. blockade against Cuba and he condemned all unilateral sanctions without the protection of international law."

Defending the end of the blockade against Cuba and Argentina's sovereignty over the Malvinas is in the interest of all of us," he said on the occasion. Furthermore, he assured that "all forms of unilateral sanctions, without the protection of international law, are counterproductive and penalize the most vulnerable". (Source: PL)