Washington/Havana, May 23, (dpa/GNA) – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on Thursday told reporters that he currently sees little chance of a diplomatic agreement between his country and Cuba, he said ahead of his trip to Sweden.
Trump’s preference was always to negotiate an agreement, Rubio said ahead of his trip to Sweden for a NATO foreign ministers meeting. “That is always our preference. That remains our preference with Cuba,” he said. “I’m just being honest with you, you know, the likelihood of that happening, given who we’re dealing with right now, is not high.” However and it remains our preference with regard to Cuba.” At the same time, Rubio stressed: “The likelihood that this will happen is not high given the people we are dealing with right now.”
He said if the Havana government were to change its position, the US would be there, but in the meantime his country “would keep doing what we need to do.” Rubio said the US was in contact with Cubans, for example through its diplomatic staff. He also confirmed that CIA Director John Ratcliffe had recently been on the ground. In addition, there were some “State Department communications that occur.”
He sharply criticized the Cuban government and the economic decisions made there saying “at the end of the day, they got to make a decision. “Their system doesn’t work right. Their economic system does not work. It’s broken, and you can’t fix it with the current political system that’s in place. They just don’t comprehend how to do it, and it’s a failed state, said Rubio, whose parents came to the United States as immigrants from Cuba.
US has been putting pressure on Cuba for months, and talks have been under way for several months between Washington and Havana.
Little has so far become public about their content. According to media reports, a grandson of Cuba’s former head of state Raul Castro, is said to play a central role.
The younger Castro is said to be the closest confidant of his grandfather, who was indicted on Wednesday in the United States.
His grandfather has been indicted in the US on charges that he was instrumental in the shooting down of two US planes on a rescue mission to Cuba, killing four, including three US citizens.
The indictment follows months of strong, increased US pressure on the island nation, including sanctions and even threats to take over the country.
GNA