Cuba Counter-Attacks On Helms-Burton Law

Taking steps to counter a new U.S. law, Cuba has approved a measure to protect foreign companies that invest in the Communist-ruled Caribbean nation.

The Cuban law, passed Tuesday, is aimed at reducing the impact of the Helms-Burton act, which seeks to punish some foreign companies doing business with Cuba, according to Cuban news reports monitored in Mexico City.

Under Helms-Burton, Americans whose property was confiscated in Cuba after Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution can sue foreign businesses who now use those properties. It also denies the executives of foreign firms entry into the United States.

Cuba’s new law declares Helms-Burton illegal and seeks sanctions against anyone who publishes or broadcasts arguments in favor of it in Cuba. That appears aimed at the U.S. government’s Radio Marti, based in Miami, which transmits news and anti-Castro propaganda to Cuba.