Diego Suárez, a historic businessman of the Cuban exile, who will turn 100 years old in November, revealed in an interview with CiberCuba the existence of a transition plan for Cuba already outlined by leaders of the exile in coordination with the United States Government, and warned that it will happen with or without the regime's consent.
Suárez, co-founder of the Cuban American National Foundation alongside Jorge Mas Canosa and a financier for decades of the struggle against the regime, was emphatic in ruling out any scenario in which members of the Castro regime lead the process of change: "That does not mean we are going to accept that those who destroyed our homeland will be the ones to help us rebuild it. We will not accept that in any way."
In response to the question of whether Cuba could undergo a transition similar to Venezuela's—led by figures from the regime—the businessman rejected the comparison but acknowledged that there could be an agreed-upon program to prevent bloodshed.
"The plan that they are about to outline and that is already being outlined by our people in collaboration with the Americans is that we will have a transition. If they want it to be peaceful, it will be. But if they don't want it, well, in any case, the transition is going to happen," he stated.
Suárez neither confirms nor denies having direct conversations with President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and when asked about it he refused to reveal details: "Things are going to happen," he predicted, referring to new "more radical" sanctions that would involve the suspension of remittances to Cuba.
The businessman also explained that the exile community is currently working "very closely" with leaders who have not yet been publicly introduced, following the strategy learned from Jorge Mas Canosa: "We didn't have to say what we were going to do and then later announce it."
The statements come just days after Trump threatened to send the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier to the shores of Cuba and signed new sanctions against the regime, measures to which Cubans reacted with expectation and uncertainty and to which the regime responded with irony and defiance.
Regarding economic reconstruction, Suárez outlined an inclusive vision between the diaspora and entrepreneurs on the island: "Cuban capitalists in the diaspora are ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with the capitalists on the island to build the new republic." He also announced that credit institutions would be established to provide access to capital for Cubans without resources who wish to start their own businesses.
In the same interview, he outright rejected the idea of a division of Cuba among the exile community: "Cuba is a homeland, and the homeland belongs to everyone. The Cubans on the island will become as prosperous as the Cubans in exile, and the Cubans in exile will seek out their homeland and share the prosperity they have here with the Cubans on the island."
Suárez concluded the interview by reaffirming his commitment to truth as a guiding principle: "We have to tell the people of Cuba the truth, not lie to them, not give them false hopes. That's why I speak with historical truths. In November, I will turn 100 years old, but I'm doing well. Not young, but healthy. And I'm here to continue fighting for the homeland."
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