Protests in Cuba: Miguel Díaz Canel’s response to Joe Biden | “It could eliminate the 243 measures applied by Trump”

The President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz Canel, came to meet his American counterpart, Joe Biden, who criticized the island’s government and supported the July 11-12 protests through social media campaigns. “The United States failed to destroy Cuba despite the fact that to achieve this he wasted billions of dollars, ”declared the Cuban president.

After protests erupted in Cuba on Sunday and Monday, Biden offered to help Cuba on ThursdayBut he called the island a “failed state that represses its citizens.” During a press conference, Biden had said he was open to shipping “significant quantities” of covid vaccine. to the Caribbean island, which is experiencing a sharp increase in coronavirus infections and has developed its own vaccines, in the midst of the economic crisis. He also offered to make it easier to send money to the island, but not without first imposing conditions. “There are a number of things we would consider doing to help the Cuban people, but that would require different circumstances, or to ensure that the government does not benefit the citizens,” the Democrat said.

Havana’s response was immediate. “A failed state is a state which, to please a reactionary and blackmailing minority, is capable of multiplying the damage to 11 million human beings ignoring the will of the majority of Cubans, Americans and the international community, ”the President of Cuba said via Twitter. Díaz Canel argued that if the US president wants to help the island, his government should lift the embargo economic tax imposed since 1962, and reinforced during the mandate of Donald Trump (2017-2021).

“If President Joseph Biden had a sincere humanitarian concern for the Cuban people, he could eliminate the 243 measures applied by President Donald Trump, including the more than 50 cruelly imposed during the pandemic, as a first step towards ending the blockade. “Díaz-Canel wrote on his Twitter account.

“Cuba is and will remain a country of peace. To defend the tranquility of our streets, we will continue to do everything possible. In the midst of these difficult days, I call for the unity of our people and all families, wherever they are, ”he said.

The Cuban president reminded his American counterpart of the ineffectiveness of managing the pandemic when US already surpasses 600,000 deaths from covid-19. “The United States has a shameful record of wars and violence; brutal repression and killings of citizens by the police; racism and human rights violations. They failed to destroy Cuba even though they wasted thousands of dollars to do so. million dollars, “Díaz Canel said on the social network.

In this direction, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, reiterated this Friday his call for lift the blockade against the island as well as “unilateral sectoral sanctions, taking into account their negative impact on human rights, including the right to health”.

The former president of Chile stressed the importance of a dialogue between the government of Cuba and the citizens. “I urge the government to respond to the demands of the demonstrators through dialogue, since it fully respects and protects the rights of all people to assemble peacefully and to freedom of opinion and expression, ”Bachelet asked in a statement from his office. Cuba and the arrest of a large number of people, including several journalists. “

“It is of particular concern that among them are those believed to be held incommunicado and those whose whereabouts are not known. All those detained for exercising their rights must be released as a matter of urgency,” he said. added. Bachelet also called for the complete restoration of the Internet access and to the country’s social networks, cut Sunday by the government, according to the opposition, and reactivated during the week, even if connection difficulties persist.

Despite the economic blockade imposed by the United States was rejected by 184 countries at the last United Nations General Assembly, Cuba is still hit by sanctions imposed decades ago and that with the current coronavirus pandemic has intensified the economic crisis on the island. However, for the director of the Center for Hemispheric and American Studies at the University of Havana, Raul Rodriguez Rodriguez, the new US president’s political agenda towards the island does not contemplate changing existing sanctions, including the more than 50 measures implemented by Trump during the pandemic.

“Biden doesn’t have an active rhetoric like Trump, there are no new sanctions, he just maintains what he was without adding anything new. The rhetoric has subsided a bit, focused on criticizing the alleged violations of human rights, from the point of view of the USA But in the meantime, the bureaucracy continues to carry out the orders given to it: maintain economic pressure and include Cuba on all negative lists“, explained Rodríguez Rodríguez.

“Two weeks ago there was talk that the United States could make unilateral changes, without asking for anything in return or opening a dialogue, which are essentially their campaign promises. But nothing has happened. For this president (Biden), domestic politics come first, his heritage is not linked to Cuba“he added.

The Cuban academic also recalled what were the three main campaign promises of the current US president: First, allow Americans to travel to Cuba on a special person-to-person travel permit; second, remove the limits and restrictions on remittances that can be sent to the island; and third, reactivate family reunification. These are three measures coming out of the economic embargo and Biden can make them effective by executive order without having to go through Congress.

But the Democrat seems to be focusing more on the political cost he would have since keeping his campaign promises would mean facing the Republicans. According to Michael Shifter, President of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank, Biden broke his promise.

“So far, the president has done nothing. He has been extremely cautious. And, although the protests that erupted on Sunday put Cuba back on the agenda, they have also made it more difficult to promote change. important. This is due to domestic politics in the United States. .UU, ”Shifter explained.Biden fears lifting of sanctions will give Republicans more ammunition so they say he is weak with the regime at a time when the government is cracking down on protests. It doesn’t matter whether it’s true or not, that’s how it will look. He is concerned about politics in Florida and does not want to anger Cuban Americans in Congress, especially Bob menendez, the President of the Foreign Relations Chamber of the Senate, which is extremely important for their foreign policy priorities like China, Russia and Iran, ”he continued.