Paris, Feb 20 (Prensa Latina) The lawmakers from the France-Cuba Friendship Group in Parliament on Wednesday condemned Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, which the United States is threatening to implement as part of the stepping up of the blockade of Cuba.
At a press conference at the headquarters of the National Assembly, the lawmakers from several political parties noted that enforcing that title would mean a new violation of Cuba’s sovereignty and would extend the extraterritorial scope of the blockade.
Group President François Michel Lambert recalled that if Washington implements Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, it would imply that any US citizens of Cuban origin might file lawsuits at US courts to demand the restitution of properties owned before 1959, even without submitting the title of property.
The rule might affect foreign companies that operate in Cuba, and would discourage those with plans to invest or make deals with Cuba.
‘It would put pressure on European economic stockholders,’ said Lambert, who added that this takes place in a global context in which the US government does not seek to establish normal commercial relations with the world, but to impose the law of the strongest.
In their statements, the lawmakers evoked the tough impact of the US blockade on Cuba.
Eric Coquerel, from the left-wing movement La France Insoumise (Unsubmissive France), recalled that the objective of the economic, commercial and financial blockade is to overthrow Cuba’s legitimate government, he added that its consequences are tremendous for both the people and foreign investments.
For his part, Xavier Paluszkiewicz, a lawmaker from the ruling movement La République en Marche! (The Republic on the Move!), pointed out that successive French governments, regardless of their political trends, have kept an invariable stance against the blockade.
Meanwhile, the socialist lawmaker Joaquim Pueyo stated that the European Union has also taken a stance against the blockade and in order to counter it, it has called to reinforce cooperation by France and the regional bloc with Cuba.
In light of the implementation of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, the lawmaker Stephane Viry, from the conservative party The Republicans, called for greater mobilization to inform on the issue and raise awareness about the possible impact of that measure.
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