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The Cuban regime confirmed this Monday the holding of a meeting between delegations from Cuba and the United States in Havana, but denied that Washington imposed deadlines or conditions during the meeting, in direct contradiction to what was reported by U.S. media.
The Deputy General Director in charge of the U.S. at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX), Alejandro García del Toro, made statements to the official newspaper Granma in which he confirmed the meeting, although he insisted that it was a "respectful and professional" exchange.
"I can confirm that a meeting recently took place here in Cuba between delegations from Cuba and the United States. On the U.S. side, deputy secretaries from the State Department participated, and on the Cuban side, it was at the level of deputy foreign ministers," declared García del Toro, who emphasized that neither side established deadlines or made threatening proposals.
However, American media had reported that this was the first time since 2016 that a U.S. government plane landed in Cuba, and that Washington had set a deadline that would expire around April 24 for the regime to release political prisoners.
Among the names mentioned in the context of the negotiations are artists and activists such as Otero Alcántara and Maykel Osorbo from the San Isidro Movement.
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara ended a hunger strike on April 6, after weeks of tension in a case that had garnered significant international attention. Previously, a Cuban court had denied a habeas corpus petition in his favor on March 23.
According to previous reports, the U.S. delegation also proposed bringing the Starlink satellite internet service to Cuba as part of the discussions.
According to the report from , the negotiations reportedly also involved the grandson of Raúl Castro and head of his personal security, highlighting the high political level of the meeting.
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