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The Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Cuba as a "failed state" on Thursday and stated that negotiations with the regime are not progressing, in statements broadcast by C-SPAN during a press conference.
"Your system doesn't work. Your economic system doesn't work. It's broken and can't be fixed with the current political system. They simply don't understand how to do it. It's a failed state," Rubio said emphatically.
It is not the first time that the head of U.S. diplomacy has used this diagnosis. On May 5, he referred to the regime as "incompetent communists" during a press conference at the White House, and on May 14, he insisted to NBC that what is happening in Cuba is "unacceptable" and a direct threat to the United States.
This time, however, Rubio was more explicit about the state of diplomatic conversations: "I don't see much progress. At the end of the day, they have to make a decision."
The secretary acknowledged that Washington keeps channels open with Havana: ambassadors have met recently, the CIA director was in Cuba a few weeks ago, and the State Department maintains regular communications. However, he cautioned that these contacts have not yielded tangible results.
"The president's preference is always for a negotiated and peaceful agreement. That remains our preference. But with Cuba, to be honest, the likelihood of that happening with those currently in power is not high," he pointed out.
This contrasts with the tone of the previous day, when Rubio offered the Cuban people a "new relationship" with Washington conditioned on democratic and economic reforms, including 100 million dollars in food and medicine distributed by the Catholic Church, not by GAESA.
Rubio pointed directly at the military-business conglomerate GAESA as the core of the problem: "They have a private military company called GAESA, with 18 billion dollars in assets, and not a single cent goes to the state budget or to help the Cuban people."
The secretary compared Cuba to its immediate neighbors to highlight the contradiction of the system: "Cuba is surrounded by places where people have the right to open businesses, work independently, vote for their leaders, or replace them. So, if that is possible around Cuba, why isn't it possible within Cuba?"
Rubio also rejected the idea that Washington's pressure policy is a form of interference: "This is not 'nation building.' We are dealing with something that is directly related to the national security of the United States."
The central argument is geographic and strategic: a systemic collapse in Cuba, just 90 miles from the US coast, would trigger a migration crisis and a wave of violence that would directly impact the United States.
Regarding the formal accusation against Raúl Castro for the downing of Brothers to the Rescue aircraft in 1996, Rubio was straightforward: "Raúl Castro openly admits and boasts about having given the order to shoot down civilian planes." He did not disclose specific plans to bring him to justice, but warned that by not surrendering, he becomes "a fugitive from U.S. justice."
"If they change their attitude, we will be here. In the meantime, we will continue doing what we need to do," Rubio concluded.
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