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Cuba responds to offer of U.S. aid following hurricane



HAVANA (CNN) -- Cuba's Foreign Ministry on Thursday asked the United States to temporarily lift embargoes so the island can import emergency supplies in wake of a deadly hurricane.

The request came in response to an offer of U.S. aid following the devastating impact of Hurricane Michelle.

"We appreciate the kind gesture especially taking into account the tense relations between our countries," a statement from the foreign ministry said. "We do not require the kind cooperation that has been offered but instead in an exceptional period we ask that the U.S. government allow our government to purchase immediately the food and raw materials for medicines needed for the reconstruction of the country."

Havana also asked the United States to allow its ships to dock in U.S. ports to directly pick up any goods it may purchase.

There was no immediate response from the U.S. State Department, and it was not known if the Cuban government had made a formal request to Washington.

Cuba's request came in the midst of a 40-year American economic embargo against the island.

Cuban President Fidel Castro's government is not allowed to receive most goods from the United States because of the embargo, but can get food and medicine under a special license.

Under the embargo, U.S. ships may dock in Cuba provided they also carry a special license from the Treasury Department. Other nations' ships that have dropped anchor in Cuban ports must also obtain a license from Treasury in order to subsequently dock in a U.S. port, or wait six months before doing so.

In a November 6 statement, the U.S. State Department offered humanitarian assistance to victims of the storm.

"The United States expresses its sympathy to those who suffered personal loss and stands ready to assist those in the region who have been hardest hit by this natural calamity," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "The United States is prepared to provide humanitarian assistance to those most affected by this terrible disaster, as we have already done for Honduras."

Boucher clarified the U.S. aid offer a day later in a Wednesday press briefing, saying the United States was ready to provide assistance as long as it can be done "in a way that ensures that the Cuban people will benefit, not the Castro regime."

And again Thursday Boucher said, "If we can be of assistance in helping them recover from the hurricane, we'd offer assistance through international and other intermediaries to ensure the Cuban people benefit and not the government."

Michelle made landfall in Cuba last Sunday as a powerful Category Four storm with winds of 135 mph, killing five people before crossing into the Florida Straits. The storm caused severe damage in eight provinces and Isle of Youth, areas that account for over 45 percent of the country's land mass and 53 percent of the population, Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage said on national TV.

The high winds devastated the country's telecommunications system, knocking out Cuba's main communications tower, disrupting phone service. Michelle also caused extensive damage to the country's electrical infrastructure and wiped out tens of thousands of homes.

Before making landfall in Cuba, Hurricane Michelle took 12 lives in Honduras, Nicaragua and Jamaica.



 
 
 
 


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