Cuba’s ambassador: The six-decade-long US embargo is a genocidal policy (E1034)
On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Haitian Ambassador to the UK Euvrard Saint Amand. He discusses the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, who was killed in his private residence, what is known about the perpetrators, such as the fact that many are Colombian and Haitian ex-military personnel, some having received US training, and the current status of the investigation into the assassination. He also considers the likely effects of the upcoming hurricane season that is predicted to devastate his country, Haiti’s reliance on foreign aid and the geopolitical implications, US influence in Haiti, and more.
In the second half, we speak to Cuban Ambassador to the UK Bárbara Montalvo Álvarez. She discusses the anti-government protests in Cuba and the biased Western media coverage they’ve received and the role of US companies in fomenting the unrest with hashtags such as SOSCuba. She also discusses the effects of the US embargo on the Cuban economy, which she calls a genocidal policy, the domestic medical industry and its production of vaccines, the US’ listing of her nation as a state sponsor of terror, Cuba’s positive response to the prospect of Lula da Silva returning to power in Brazil amid what some call the Second Pink Tide, and more.
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STATEMENT ADDITION
STATEMENT FROM THE EU:
- In relation to the broad waiver proposed by a number of WTO members, the European Commission, while ready to discuss any option that helps end the pandemic as soon as possible, is not convinced that this would provide the best immediate response to reach the objective of the widest and timely distribution of Covid-19 vaccines that the world urgently needs. The EU’s proposals to the WTO (4 June) aim at achieving that objective in a swift and effective manner.
- We would need to have more information to assess the US position and how it compares to the proposal already made by India and South Africa at the World Trade Organization.
- The priority for the EU is to ramp up production of Covid vaccines to achieve global vaccination. The EU is at the forefront of deliveries of effective vaccines to the rest of the world: so far, more than 500 million doses have been exported outside the EU. As many as have been delivered to Europeans (by mid-July).
- In the short term, we maintain that it is key for all vaccine producing countries to allow export immediately and to avoid measures that disrupt the supply chains.
- Vaccine production requires complicated biological processes, involving know-how, technology, skilled personnel and infrastructure. It is not by simply waving intellectual property rights that safe and effective vaccines can be produced, but rather by collaboration between those that have the knowledge and those that have the capacity.
- If voluntary solutions fail and intellectual property becomes a barrier to treatments or vaccines against Covid-19, the necessary mechanisms are already available under the TRIPS Agreement. This is why the EU presented specific proposals on how to facilitate the use of compulsory licencing in the context of a pandemic. This is a practical response to the specific concerns related to potential difficulties for making use of this existing TRIPs flexibilities.
- The EU is engaged in a text-based process in the TRIPS Council to ensure that the IPR regime supports efforts to enhance access to Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics.
- This is also why Europe committed EUR 1 billion to create with our African partners and our industrial partners manufacturing hubs in different regions in Africa.
Attributable to an NSO Spokesperson:
“Enough is enough!“
“In light of the recent planned and well-orchestrated media campaign lead by Forbidden Stories and pushed by special interest groups, and due to the complete disregard of the facts, NSO is announcing it will no longer be responding to media inquiries on this matter and it will not play along with the vicious and slanderous campaign.
We will state again:
The list is not a list of targets or potential targets of Pegasus.
The numbers in the list are not related to NSO group.
Any claim that a name in the list is necessarily related to a Pegasus target or Pegasus potential target is erroneous and false.
NSO is a technology company. We do not operate the system, nor do we have access to the data of our customers, yet they are obligated to provide us with such information under investigations.
NSO will thoroughly investigate any credible proof of misuse of its technologies, as we always had, and will shut down the system where necessary.
NSO will continue its mission of saving lives, helping governments around the world prevent terror attacks, break up pedophilia, sex, and drug-trafficking rings, locate missing and kidnapped children, locate survivors trapped under collapsed buildings, and protect airspace against disruptive penetration by dangerous drones.”