The Foreign Minister said on his Twitter account that it is also uncertain that the Caribbean nation can acquire medical supplies from subsidiaries of U.S. companies in third countries.

Rodriguez explained on Twitter that the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act (TSRA) of 2000 was drafted to make any transaction practically impossible.

He pointed out that in order to carry out an operation of this type, a specific license is required from the Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce, with extremely rigorous procedures, which generally discourage suppliers.

He specified that the regulatory agency that issues the license needs the guarantee of being able to have proof, with inspection, of the destination of the exported product and ensuring, among other requirements, that it will not be used for the biotechnology industry.

In order to comply with the above, the President of the United States can request the inspection of the “exports” in situ (in the field) to verify the purposes for which they were conceived (only for the use and benefit of the Cuban people), an absurd and inapplicable pretension, the head of the Cuban diplomacy said.

He pointed out that due to the designation of the island as a state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. State Department, the term of the license is one year; “almost nobody is willing to request a permit to sell or trade for one year,” he said.

He added that vessels involved in transporting authorized medicines or medical supplies will be allowed to enter the U.S. ports, provided they have not transported unlicensed cargo or persons to or from Cuba and provided they are not carrying unauthorized goods.

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