Obama Defers Part of the Helms Burton Act for Another Year
HAVANA TIMES — US President Barack Obama extended for another year a moratorium on the full implementation of the Helms Burton Act, the terms of which were to expire on September 14, reported Prensa Latina.
Obama cited “US national interests” as the reason to continue to put on hold on implementing part of the law adopted in August 1996, systematically repeated previously by presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
The Helms Burton has extraterritorial features, and if fully implemented would allow lawsuits to be filed against companies that trade with Cuba , deny entry into the US of executives from such companies, and grant rights to people whose property was nationalized by the Cuban government.
My buddy in Washington D.C. sent me an email this morning telling me that the ‘Free the Cuban 5’ group had about 30 people protesting and wearing yellow ribbons in front of the White House yesterday. It was wet and muggy outside in DC so after only about of hour of protesting about 10 of those supporters went home. A much larger and louder group of protestors against military strikes in Syria was gathered next to the pro-Castro group. When the press showed up, the remaining ‘Free the 5’ folks simply joined the Syria protest group. Nothing better than TV cameras to draw a crowd. It is clear that the American people are not concerned about Cuba. This action by my President is simply a reflection of the indifference of the American people to US/Cuban relations.