HAVANA.- Miguel Diaz-Canel, Cuba´s President of the Councils of State and Ministers, described as absurd and illegal the Helms-Burton Act, which title III has been partially enforced as announced on Monday by the US Department of State.

The Helms-Burton is an absurd and illegal act. You cannot legislate against the world, or ignore the sovereignty of each country. #Cuba is an independent and sovereign nation that respects and demands respect.

Imperialist lords learn once and for all: dignity is invincible #SomosCuba, the Cuban leader said on Twitter.

Last Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Caribbean island issued a statement in which it strongly rejected the new aggressive escalation of the United States government and reiterated to its economic partners and foreign companies operating in Cuba all the guarantees for foreign investment and joint projects.

It also clarifies that anyone who uses the procedures and mechanisms of the Helms-Burton Act to the detriment of others will be excluded from future possible negotiations.

According to an announcement made on Monday in the United States, from next March 19, the suspension of the possibility of filing lawsuits in US courts against dozens of Cuban companies included in a unilateral list of the State Department for supposed links to defense and national security will be lifted.

Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, in force since 1996, allows any American citizen or company to file lawsuits before US courts to claim compensation for nationalized properties after the triumph of the Revolution of January 1, 1959.

American presidents had consecutively suspended its application for six months, but last January, Donald Trump announced that he would do it for only 45 days from February 1, a stance denounced in Cuba as a blackmail and part of the effort to intensify the economic, commercial and financial blockade.