Washington, August 11 (RHC)-- The U.S. blockade against Cuba is today the main obstacle for solidarity organizations that want to send aid after a devastating fire in Matanzas, according to the digital site Common Dreams.

Although the U.S. government pays lip service to emergency aid to Cuba, the truth is that the blockade creates real and significant barriers, noted an opinion signed by Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the organizations Global Exchange and CodePink, and human rights attorney Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan.

The authors explained that sanctions on Cuba typically require export licenses from the Department of Commerce, and most flights are prohibited from carrying humanitarian aid without a permit.

They argued that Cuba's inclusion on the State Sponsors of Terrorism List means that banks in the United States and abroad are reluctant to process donations.

They said the response to this catastrophe should come primarily from the U.S. government, not NGOs.

Likewise, they recalled that a Presidential Policy Directive from the Barack Obama era mentions U.S. cooperation with Cuba "in areas of mutual interest, including diplomatic, agricultural, public health, and environmental issues, as well as disaster preparedness and response."

Despite the 243 sanctions the Donald Trump administration imposed, "overwhelmingly maintained by the Biden White House-the Policy Directive appears to remain in place," Benjamin and Bannan noted.

In addition, Cuba and the United States signed a bilateral oil spill preparedness and response agreement in 2017, before Trump's inauguration.

They asserted that this is the time for the U.S. government to show "compassion, regional cooperation, environmental responsibility" and be "a good neighbor."

Denying assistance at this critical time signals to Cubans, Cuban Americans, and the world that the Biden administration is not truly interested in the welfare of the Cuban people, despite statements to the contrary, they insisted.