The falsity of the US government’s efforts to present the blockade on Cuba as an exclusively bilateral affair has been clearly demonstrated by the impact on numerous countries and on the citizens and companies of third states of the extraterritorial provisions of the blockade; not even international organizations of the United Nations system have been able to avoid this.

It is worth remembering some of the extraterritorial provisions of the blockade, which are still in force and continue to cause a large amount of damage and detrimental effects, both to Cuba and to third countries, whose right to gain full benefit from the opportunities generated by the Cuban economy is restricted. Some examples of this are:

• Subsidiaries of American companies based in third countries are forbidden from carry out any kind of transaction with Cuban companies, or acquire goods that have been made using any Cuban product.

• Companies from third countries are forbidden from exporting any product to the United States if it contains Cuban raw material.

• Companies from third countries are forbidden from selling goods or services to Cuba which use US technology or which are made using products from this country which exceeds 10% of their value, even when the proprietors of these products are from third countries.

• Ships that have transported merchandise to or from Cuba are prohibited from entering US ports.

• Banks in third countries are prohibited from opening accounts in US dollars to Cuban juridical or natural persons or to anyone who carry out any financial transaction in this currency with Cuban entities or individuals, and if they do the accounts shall be confiscated.

• Businessmen from third countries are prohibited from making investments or during business in Cuba, under the supposition that these transactions are related to properties subject to retrieval by the United States. The businessmen who do not honor this ban will be the target of sanctions and reprisals.