Cuba Blames US for “Deteriorating” Relations
HAVANA TIMES – The Cuban government today blamed the United States for the “deterioration” of bilateral relations after the announcement of the expulsion of 15 Cuban diplomats from Washington, reported dpa news.
“With these politically motivated and poorly though out actions, the US government is responsible for the present and probably future deterioration of bilateral relations,” Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez told a news conference.
The State Department gave the Cuban ambassador in Washington a list of 15 names on Tuesday and said officials have a week to leave the country.
The expulsion comes after Washington ordered most of its diplomats to leave Havana last Friday, claiming that the Cuban government has not been able to protect them.
The United States alleged that 21 US officials in Cuba suffered mysterious “acoustic attacks” which caused them different symptoms ranging from nausea to deafness.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry said that the State Department made the decision “without conclusive research results or evidence” about the “acoustic attacks” that caused the tension between the two countries.
The Cuban government agreed that officials from specialized agencies in the United States visited Havana on three occasions in June, August and September – to “work on the ground for the first time in 50 years” and to investigate.
“They were given all the facilities, including the possibility of importing equipment, as a sign of goodwill and the great interest of the Cuban government in concluding the investigation,” said Rodriguez.
The head of Cuban diplomacy called on the US “not to continue politicizing this issue, which may lead to an undesirable escalation, as well as weaken and further reverse bilateral relations, already affected by the announcement of a new policy made last June by President Donald Trump .”
Here’s one of several independent news articles that mention both the Canadian and the French diplomats affected:
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/09/14/sonic-attacks-in-cuba-target-canadian-and-us-diplomats.html
Actually, the injuries began to be reported during the summer of 2016 during the previous Obama administration.
Agreed.
Nearly all dictators lack love including the right wing ones who Trump admires as his role models!
With the massive control the Cuban government has over its people, this is a major spy movie in the making.
The Castro dictatorship does not love anyone who supports democracy.
As I commented earlier, there are French and Canadian embassy personnel affected as well. If you didn’t know that, I will likely for a link reporting this.
There are French and Canadian embassy personnel affected as well. If you didn’t know that, I will likely for a link reporting this.
This is a manufactured crisis. No names of victims are known. No concrete or specific symptoms have been revealed. No culprit has been fingered. No medical authority has come out to support the allegations. No forensic study has been made public. There is an evident objective of using the most silly pretext to downgrade bilateral relations and go to a state of confrontation. You can keep drinking the Kool-Aid, Moses. But the “facts” don’t lie.
Yes, how is the French government involved?
Me too. But the “mess” is in Washington (or sometimes in Florida, wherever Rubio and friends happen to be). “Unholy?” Hmm. Perhaps we should love our neighbor – and Cuba is our neighbor.
No one is inventing “a false story” “to piss off” Cuba nor is the French government involved. This incident is unfortunately being used to damage Cuban – U.S. relations and our “moron” non-President is allowing reactionary elements to determine U.S. foreign policy. Cuba’s Foreign Minister is right: Our actions are “politically motivated and poorly though out.” And the Ministry is right: We are acting “without conclusive research results or evidence.”
Who sez the Canadian and French governments were involved; you do! Cuba needs to move forward and positive input from its northern neighbor can help accomplish this in spite of sabotage from the current administration in Washington.
Are you suggesting that the US, Canadian and French governments got together to invent a false story of hearing loss and minor cerebral damage just to piss off the Castro dictatorship? Really?
I would dearly love for negotiators from both sides to pull up a chair or two and start to sort out this one unholy mess!
…and I totally agree with you, Edward! This whole incident was instigated by the Trump regime to destroy bilateral relations between the great people of Cuba and the United States. My apologies as an American citizen to the Cuban people!
As a U.S. citizen I apologize to the Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez and the Cuban people for the machinations of the U.S. Government. The Foreign Minister’s analysis is absolutely correct.