Granma: Obama Gov't. Fines Company for Links with Havana

[magbana]

GRANMA INTERNATIONAL
Havana. March 11, 2009

http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2009/march/mier11/multa.html

Obama government fines company for links with Havana

DESPITE all the pressure to change the blockade’s restrictions on trade, maintained against Cuba for half a century, the U.S. agency charged with harassing Cuba’s suppliers has just levied a $20,950 fine on Lactalis USA, a U.S. affiliate of the French giant Lactalis.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed the fine on the cheese and dairy company for violating blockade regulations by “making electronic financial transactions in which Cuba or a Cuban citizen had an interest” between February 2004 and March 2007, according to media reports in Miami, Florida.

It is the first fine imposed by the Treasury Department on a company for ties to Cuba since President Barack Obama took power, and it reaffirms the policy of blockading the island.

On January 16, the OFAC issued “legal clarifications” that tightened even further restrictions on travel by people from the United States to Cuba, affecting U.S. companies that provide charter flights, book travel or send remittances.

The measures announced four days after Obama was sworn in as president were interpreted at the time as the result of resistance by recalcitrant “Bush cronies,” officials who were not happy about the change in administration.

The OFAC is just one element of the enormous mechanism of aggression implemented against Havana by successive U.S. administrations. Thanks to this agency, the Treasury Department spies on U.S. citizens and foreigners who dare to maintain relations with Cuba. For years, the agency has spent millions of dollars and a good part of its labor power on spying on, detecting, and punishing individuals, companies and other entities. (JGA)

Translated by Granma International


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WALTER LIPPMANN
Havana, Cuba
Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/
"Cuba - Un Paraíso bajo el bloqueo"
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[Judi Lynn]

1. magbana, I'm speechless. Surely someone will turn this guy around on this.

He's absolutely NOTHING close to liberal if he could sanction something like this. Absolutely amazing.

You're the one who broke it here. You know what a low spot this really is. Hmmmmm.

Thanks.

Hope he changes his ways. The country is ready to move away from this fascism. They've indicated it in polls nationwide for years.