Cuba Urges to Respect Rules of Multilateral Trading System

Cuba urged today to act according to the rules of the multilateral trading system, referring to the dispute "United States-Section 211 Omnibus Appropriations Act of 1998''. Under that section it was denied for many years to the Cubaexport company a specific license to renew the registration of the Havana Club rum brand.

The Cuban ambassador to the Office of the United Nations in the Swiss city, Anayansi Rodriguez, told to the World Trade Organization (WTO) that the latest report presented by the US government in that dispute remains virtually unchanged if compared to the previous reports.

'The northern nation, on this issue, deliberately violates the obligation to report the progress in implementing the recommendations and rulings of the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of the WTO', she said.

Rodriguez highlighted that the restoration of diplomatic ties between Washington and Havana is a positive step, but in more than one year since December 17, 2014, nothing changed in the regulations on intellectual property that United States applies to Cuba.

'This happens also with most of the policies that shape the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed against our country, which should be lifted immediately and unconditionally', she said.

The diplomat said that the recent renewal of the Havana Club brand registration of the company Cubaexport by the United States Patent and Trademark Office was a positive and fair step, because it is the recognition of the rights of the Cuban company as owner of the trademark.

However, she said, while Section 211 remains in effect, the recognition by the US Courts of the Cuban trademarks and patents is prevented.

As a result, will continue as a latent possibility that the

registration of the Cuban trademark could be canceled at any time, under this legislation, by decision of a US court, she said.

Therefore, the Ambassador said that this is an issue that should remain on the monthly agenda of the DSB.

An important group of countries intervened to express their strong support for the declaration of the Caribbean nation, including Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Ecuador, El Salvador, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Russia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.