A communiqué released by The White House explains that Obama signed and send a memorandum to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and to the Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner extending the enforcement of the legislation until September 14, 2011.
In the memorandum, the US President explains that the extension for a year of these measures on Cuba is in the national interests of the United States.
By extending these regulations, Washington reiterates its stance that the Cuban government is still a risk for US national security and therefore it prohibits US companies from making business with Cuba.
The renovation of the measures is just the same old story, since previous US administrations continued to extend the regulations annually; so then, Obama follows up on the same policy without any change at all.
Cuba is the only country of the world submitted to sanctions established by the Trade with the Enemy Act, which dates back to 1917, after the Bush administration decided to not renew such regulations in 2008 against the People´s Democratic Republic of Korea.
.
The Blockade – Amnesty International’s View
