World Trade Organization Interested in Cuban Mega-Port
HAVANA TIMES — The director general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Roberto Azevedo, on a working visit in Cuba, will meet with executives of the Regulatory Office of the Mariel Special Development Zone, reported Prensa Latina.
The senior official of the multilateral organization met on Tuesday with Cuban Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment Minister, Rodrigo Malmierca. Today he scheduled to meet with Vice President Ricardo Cabrisas, and Deputy Foreign Minister Abelardo Moreno.
The WTO was created in 1995, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, with the purpose of regulating trade between its members on the principles of equality and reciprocity, and currently has 160 members.
Do you know why the WTO was in Cuba anyway?
Last month, the World Trade Organization (“WTO”) was set to ratify an international Trade Facilitation Agreement (“TFA”) that would have streamlined customs procedures and added over $1 trillion to global GDP.
WTO ratification requires the unanimous approval of all 160 member states.
Yet, at the very last minute, India controversially objected over a non-related food subsidy issue. Never missing an opportunity to coerce a concession, Cuba, and its two minions, Venezuela and Bolivia, thereafter joined India in its non-related objection.
Note that every other WTO member, including China and Russia, had supported the deal.
Thus, like clockwork, the WTO’s Director General, Roberto Azevêdo, flew to Havana this week, where he participated in highly-publicized meetings with Castro regime officials and even toured the new (and underutilized) Port of Mariel.
And predictably, he criticized U.S. policy and gave Cuba’s desperate search for foreign investors — despite no property rights or rule of law — a begrudging seal of approval.
http://www.capitolhillcubans.com/2014/08/castros-wto-blackmail-cuba.html
To answer my own question, i had a good look at the Mariel port on Google maps. No ships in evidence and not an extensive facility. Take a look!
The Castros are masters of deception. They continue to try to convince their sycophants that “if we build it they will come”. The Port at Mariel, built with Brazilian money, has been touted as the latest ‘savior’ of the Cuban economy. Supporters of Castro tyranny fail to do the math, or simply ignore the fact that in order for this container port to be a success, Cuba needs to produce more, or buy more or act as the middle man between other parties who are buying and selling more goods. So far, and into the foreseeable future, none of these three factors will take place.
What is Cuba’s “Mega-port” exporting? There does not appear to be any increase in traffic on the autopista west of Havana other than an occasional container marked ‘HAMBURG’ which could well be empty having delivered butter to Cuba. All visiting socialist dignatories are dragged out like so many dead cats to see the Brazil financed “Mega-port” – the Waterfront at Rotterdam stretches some 26 km. How does Mariel “Mega-port” measure up?