The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, launched new criticisms against the Cuban political system this Friday, asserting that the primary obstacle to the country's economic development is the power structure that governs the island.
"The only thing worse than a communist is an incompetent communist," Rubio stated in Washington during an exchange with reporters, referring to the leadership of the Cuban regime.
The head of U.S. diplomacy stated that Cuba's economy cannot recover without a profound transformation of the political system.
The economy needs to change and it cannot change unless its government system changes. "Who is going to invest billions of dollars in a communist country run by incompetent communists?" he questioned.
Rubio also rejected reports suggesting that the administration of President Donald Trump could agree to a limited deal focused on economic reforms with Havana.
The Secretary of State also dismissed reports published by media outlets based on anonymous sources regarding the negotiations with the regime.
“Any information about Cuba that hasn’t come from me or the president is false, because we are the only ones working on that,” he stated.
Rubio insisted that many of the reports circulating in the press do not come from individuals involved in the process.
"All those sources talking about Cuba don’t know anything. They are not part of the process. I promise you they have no idea what is happening," he added.
The official reiterated that the root of the Cuban crisis is structural and that the country will not be able to develop until the political system and the current economic model change.
In that regard, he stated that the issue is not only economic but also political.
"Economic change is important. Giving people economic and political freedom is important, but they go hand in hand," he emphasized.
The statements come in the context of contacts between Washington and Havana confirmed by both parties in mid-March.
President Trump had previously indicated that Cuba is in talks with Rubio and that his administration could announce decisions on the matter "very soon."
For his part, the Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel has ruled out any transformation of the political system and states that his government is working on an update of the economic model that combines centralized planning with market mechanisms.
From Washington, however, the U.S. administration claims that the partial economic reforms are insufficient to resolve the deep crisis facing the island.
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