Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sharply escalated criticism of Cuba’s leadership on Thursday, calling the island a “failed state” and warning that instability there directly threatens US national security.
Speaking during a media gaggle in Miami ahead of his India trip, Rubio said Cuba’s political and economic system was “broken” and accused the government of blocking humanitarian assistance while enriching military-linked entities.
“Their economic system does not work. It’s broken, and you can’t fix it with the current political system that’s in place,” Rubio said. “It’s a failed state.”
Rubio said the United States remained willing to support humanitarian relief for Cubans, but only through organisations not linked to the Cuban regime or military-controlled companies.
“We’re prepared to do more, but it has to be distributed by groups that are not linked to the regime,” he said.
He disclosed that Washington had allocated $6 million in aid after the hurricane, with half already distributed through the Catholic Church.
“Three of the 6 million were distributed inside of Cuba after the hurricane through the Catholic Church,” Rubio said. “There’s another 3 million that’s being held up, by the way, by the Cubans through their permitting process.”
Rubio accused a military-linked entity identified as “GUYA” of controlling vast wealth while ordinary Cubans faced worsening blackouts and economic collapse.
“They have a private military company named Guya who’s sitting on $18 billion of assets and not a penny of that transfers over to the state budget,” he said.
Rubio also warned that Cuba posed broader security concerns for the United States because of its proximity and ties with Russia and China.
“Cuba not only has weapons that they’ve acquired from Russia and China over the years but they also host Russia and Chinese intelligence presence in their country,” he said.
He added that a “systemic meltdown” in Cuba could trigger migration and instability affecting the US directly.
“If you have a systemic meltdown in that country, which is where they’re headed, we’ll be impacted by the migratory crisis, by any violence and instability that happens there,” Rubio said.
Asked whether military action remained an option, Rubio stressed that the administration preferred diplomacy.
“Our preference in Cuba and anywhere in the world is a negotiated diplomatic settlement,” he said. But he added that the President “has the obligation to address that national security threat” if one emerged.
(IANS)
