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US reiterates offer to help Cuba after hurricane

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-10 10:23

WASHINGTON -- The United States reiterated on Tuesday its offer to help Cuba after the country was hit by Hurricane Gustav and suffered great economic losses.

Hurricane Ike is pictured over Cuba in this satellite image taken September 8, 2008. [Agencies]

The United States intends to send a humanitarian team to Cuba to asses its needs, the State Department said, adding that it is providing 100,000 dollars in immediate emergency assistance to Cuba through nongovernmental organizations.

Nonetheless, the State Department admitted that the Cuban government declined on Saturday the initial US offer to send a team to evaluate the damage from Hurricane Gustav.

The United States has been practicing a policy of trade embargo against Cuba since the country's 1959 revolution and the two countries do not have diplomatic relations.