Havana- Although President Barack Obama has repeatedly expressed his willingness to work in lifting the U.S. economic, financial and commercial blockade on Cuba, the hostile measure remains in force today, the island''s authorities say.

According to Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez, the group of laws are a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of human rights of all Cubans.

Last week, during his speech at the UN General Assembly prior to the vote of a draft resolution against the U.S. blockade, the foreign minister said the blockade has been described as an act of genocide, under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948.

Rodriguez' speech - which was reported today in the Granma newspaper - highlighted the fact that although the United States has abstained for the first time in the vote on the UN resolution, that decision took 24 years and a period of 'isolation and failure' for the USA.

According to the Cuban diplomat, most of the executive regulations and the provisions which enforce the blockade are still being rigorously applied by U.S. government agencies.

The foreign minister stated that even though the Presidential Policy Directive, published on October 14th, has recognized that Cuba's sovereignty and self-determination, it does not hide the purpose of altering the constitutional order and promoting changes in the island's economic, political, social and cultural system.

The October 26th the vote at the UN General Assembly on the Cuban resolution with regards to the blockade and the need to end it, concluded with a historic result:191 countries in favor of the island and only two countries abstained: the United States and Israel.