By Roberto Morejón

The overwhelming ruling in favor of the Meliá Hotels International chain in a lawsuit filed in Spain for its management of hotels in Cuba, deals a significant blow to the United States blockade, in which the Joe Biden administration persists.

The Palma de Mallorca court responded in the manner cited to a demand from the Sánchez Hill family of Cuban origin, for the Meliá mission in two hotels in Cuba.

The justice body denied that the prestigious Spanish chain illicitly used properties defined in the Helms-Burton law as allegedly confiscated.

Such arguments have been rejected for the second time, since they previously received the same response in another instance, in what is reaffirmed as the pronouncement of lack of jurisdiction of the courts of the Iberian country to hear proceedings against Meliá, the Cuban company Gaviota and the same. Caribbean state.

In this way, at least in Spain, the opprobrious Helms-Burton law, reactivated by former President Donald Trump to gift the extreme right of emigrants of Cuban origin in Miami, receives an unexpected setback by the plaintiffs.

The fanatics who gloat over the material deficiencies in the largest of the Antilles due to the blockade bet on a cascade of lawsuits against investors in the Caribbean archipelago.

The lawsuit against Meliá delayed five years, with the support of Washington to cut off one of Havana's sources of foreign currency.

This is not the only tool used against the so-called industry without chimneys in the land of José Martí.

Cuban authorities recently denounced pressure exerted on financial and tourism agencies, airlines and suppliers to hinder the progress of the local branch.

The Northern Power prohibited its citizens from visiting the neighboring country, cruise ships and manipulated the granting of the ESTA visa to Europeans who traveled to the largest of the Antilles.

The latter as a consequence of the other side of the siege, the inclusion of Cuba in the unilateral list of countries that, according to Washington, sponsor terrorism.

For the same reason, it is difficult for the national government to access bank loans, hence the alterations in collection and payment flows between participants in the tourism business.

Despite the above, hotel chains and suppliers continue to work with Cuba, as illustrated by Meliá, with four recent openings and an ambitious renovation program.