Republican Senator from Florida, Rick Scott, delivered a direct message to Miguel Díaz-Canel's government, stating that the Cuban regime should yield to international pressure and allow for a democratic transition on the island.
"There will be no more oil for Cuba. There will be no more money for Cuba. They must surrender and allow the Cuban people to have the government they deserve: a democracy and the freedom that was taken from them by the corrupt regime decades ago,” the legislator stated in remarks reported by Martí Noticias.
Scott also supported the words of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, regarding the political future of the Cuban government.
“President Trump is right. The days of the Díaz-Canel regime in Cuba, the corrupt Castro regime in Cuba are numbered,” the senator asserted.
His statements come amid a climate of renewed political pressure from Washington on several governments deemed adversaries of the United States, including Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.
Scott talks about the "list of villains."
In another recent intervention, during an interview on the Fox Business channel, Scott referred to several communist regimes that he labeled as "evil," and argued that that group could be reduced if political changes continue to take place in Latin America.
"Iran is evil. China is evil. North Korea is evil. Communist China is evil. Now we have at least four," he stated.
The senator suggested that the list could be shortened if political transformations advance in the region.
“Now that Venezuela is changing and with what Trump is doing in Cuba. I hope more people will be cooperating for the benefit of the United States,” he added.
An agenda focused on pressuring authoritarian regimes
Scott has included among his main legislative priorities in the Capitol political and economic pressure against authoritarian governments, especially in Latin America and Asia.
In the case of Cuba, the senator has sponsored the so-called DEMOCRACY Act, an initiative aimed at imposing stricter sanctions against the military and intelligence apparatus of the regime, including asset freezes and financial restrictions.
He has also defended Cuba's inclusion on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, opposed any easing of the U.S. embargo, and co-sponsored resolutions condemning human rights violations on the island.
Her agenda has also included multiple initiatives against the Venezuelan regime.
Scott recently celebrated the ousting of dictator Nicolás Maduro and had previously introduced the Stop Maduro project, which proposed increasing the reward for information leading to his capture to 100 million dollars.
Additionally, he supported the Senate's version of the Bolívar Law, which prohibits contracts with companies linked to the chavista regime, and introduced the Valor Law, aimed at promoting a strategy to support a democratic transition in Venezuela.
Sanctions against Nicaragua, China, Iran, and North Korea
Regarding Nicaragua, Scott supported the Renacer Act, which expands sanctions against officials of the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo involved in corruption or repression.
He has also requested that the U.S. government apply sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act, which include asset freezes, entry bans to the United States, and financial restrictions.
Regarding China, the senator supports the Restrict Act, which would allow the U.S. government to restrict or prohibit technologies associated with countries deemed adversaries, including the Chinese Communist Party.
It has also promoted proposals to limit U.S. investments in strategic sectors of the Chinese economy and strengthen controls on companies linked to the military apparatus of that country.
Regarding Iran and North Korea, Scott has supported legislative initiatives aimed at tightening sanctions against both governments due to their nuclear and missile programs.
Among them is their support for the Maximum Pressure Law, aimed at strengthening sanctions against Tehran, as well as other measures to increase international pressure on Pyongyang.
In that context, the senator maintains his message to Havana: that the Cuban government must yield to international pressure and allow the island's citizens to freely decide their political future.
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