Tense relations between USA and Cuba lasts since Cold War. The root cause was of ideological nature - USA wanted the Cuban government to move toward democratization and respect for human rights, while on the other hand Havana with the rule of Communist regime had a very close relationship with Moscow. President of the USA Kennedy and his administration were deeply concerned about such close relations and Cuban regime. Therefore the United States has in 1962 imposed an economic embargo against Cuba.
Fifty years later, the embargo has not achieved the most important goal - to overthrow the Communist regime which continues to control Cuba, while most vulnerable residents pay the highest price. Moreover Cuban government said that embargo costed the state over 700 billion euros.
In November 2012 United nations General Assembly voted with the vast majority to condemn the USA embargo against Cuba - 186 UN member states opposed to sanctions and assessed as unnecessary, while only USA, Israel and Palau were against the resolution.
Step forward was made in 2011, when US President Barack Obama used his executive powers and lifted some restrictions, such as travel restrictions for educational and cultural groups. As 1.5 million members of the Cuban diaspora live in the USA, Obama has allowed them to send remittances to Cuba.
After five decades, in July 2012, the Cuba has received first shipment of humanitarian aid, which has arrived from Miami. This action has been positively accepted by the Cuban community in Florida, but there was no response from the government.
Each relationship has its limits so does USA- Cuban. US contractor Alan Gross was arrested in Cuba in 2009 for distributing laptops and communication equipment to members of Cuba's small Jewish community. Ms. Učakar was very clear in her letter regarding the case of Mr. Gross and USA-Cuban relations. Her statement was conditionally made - meaning if Cuba release Ms. Gross USA will be prepared to negotiate on lifting the embargo.
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is making the effort to solve the case of Mr. Gross. Even though the Working Group has no enforcement powers, the ruling could put pressure on the Cuban government in order to release Mr. Gross. In December 2012 the report of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has been released.
Below you can read the official statements of both states:
USA
"As Obama administration has already announced in 2008, United States of America are certain that a
series of changes in U.S. policy to reach out to the Cuban people can help
support their desire to freely determine their country’s future. In taking these
steps to help bridge the gap among divided Cuban families and promote the freer
flow of information and humanitarian items to the Cuban people, President Obama
is working to fulfill the goals he identified both during his presidential
campaign and since taking office. This administration has done its best to lift
all restrictions on transactions related to the travel of family members,
improve communication infrastructure and enable flow of humanitarian items.
United States of America fully support decisions of international bodies
and we are committed to goals and principles of the international community.
Therefore, we warmly welcome the decision of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary
Detention which has decided that detention of Mr. Alan Phillip Gross is
arbitrary. We urge Cuba to release Mr. Gross without any preconditions.
We remain committed to policies that support the welfare of the Cuban
people, despite the arrest and continued detention of Alan Gross, a 63-year-old
American citizen who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for facilitating
Internet access for Cuba's small Jewish community. The United States again
calls on Cuba to immediately release Mr. Gross.
The United States strongly supports the desire of the Cuban people to
freely determine their own future. With other Member States, the United States
determines its conduct of economic relationships with other countries in
accordance with its national interests and principles. Our sanctions policy
toward Cuba is just one of the tools in our overall effort to encourage respect
for the human rights and basic freedoms to which the United Nations itself is
committed.
Release of Mr. Gross and reconsideration of other similar detentions would
be a sign that Cuba believes in human rights, equality and respect for every
human being. In this respect, United States of America would be prepared to
participate in negotiations on the annual resolution of the UN addressed Necessity of ending the economic,
commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America
against Cuba.
Urška Učakar
Permanent Representative of the United States of
America to the United Nations"
Cuba
"Cuba maintains a high level of cooperation and interaction with the procedures and mechanisms of the United Nations system in the area of human rights and has a positive dialogue with the bodies created by the international treaties on human rights. To demonstrate we are serious, we would like to show we fully respect Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. Cuba has already, in the spirit of transparency and cooperation, provided to the Working Group extensive information on the Mr. Alan Philip Gross case to enable it to assess it objectively. Since Cuba has always expressed its willingness to establish a dialogue on every issue and with all States on the basis of mutual respect, sovereign equality, and the recognition of the right to self-determination, we are also willing to establish this kind of dialogue with the United States. We are open to a constructive and respectful dialogue, based on the truth. Therefore, we invite Obama administration to meet Cuba at the negotiating table to solve bilateral issues between the two states and to discuss the release of Mr. Alan Phillip Gross in exchange of starting the talks about the issue of embargo. It is time to start building better relations based on cooperation and respect."
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References:
ABCNews. 2012. UN Report Calls on Cuba to Release American. Available at: http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=18162770&sid=81
AFP. 2013. Record vote for UN resolution against Cuba embargo. Available at: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jQcE0-rilpTdqNTE-6xr0lP0DRaw?docId=CNG.169e2b06165bc926eb8e2209eb58d48b.f1
AlJazeera. 2012. Cuba receives first US shipment in 50 years. Available at: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/07/20127147196482238.html
The Guardian. 2011. Barack Obama acts to ease US embargo on Cuba. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/15/barack-obama-us-embargo-cuba
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