Secretary of State Marco Rubio again slammed the Cuban regime as the Trump administration maintains pressure on Havana.
Speaking with Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Rubio said that the "fundamental" problem with the country is that "it has no economy, and the people who are in charge of that country and in control of it don't know how to improve the everyday lives of their people without giving up power over the sectors they control."
"They want to control everything. They don't want the people of Cuba to control anything. So they don't know how to get themselves out of this. And to the extent that they've been offered opportunities to do so, they don't seem to be able to comprehend or accept them in any way. They would much rather be in charge of a dying country than allow it to prosper," he added.
In the meantime, the Cuban economy continues teetering on the brink of collapse. On Friday, a massive fire broke out at the Ñico López oil refinery in Havana Bay, sending a towering plume of black smoke into the sky, further straining the country's energy failing energy grid.
Journalists from the French press agency AFP reported the blaze from the scene, where smoke was visible across the channel dividing the bay.
The timing of the fire compounds existing challenges. Cuba's energy system has been stretched thin since the end of substantial oil deliveries from Venezuela last year, a development that analysts say has deepened what many on the island call the worst energy crisis in decades. Restrictions on fuel sales and a government emergency plan that reduced the work week are among the measures instituted to conserve dwindling supplies.
Just a day earlier, two Mexican navy vessels docked at the same harbor carrying more than 800 tons of humanitarian aid, including fuel and essential supplies, underscoring the urgency of Cuba's shortfalls. The aid mission arrives as the Caribbean nation of nearly 10 million faces not only economic hardship but also continuing pressure from the longstanding US trade embargo.
In this context, Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern introduced a bill to "repeal the U.S. embargo against Cuba," saying that the country should change its "failed, obsolete, Cold-War thinking towards" Havana.
"We have tried the same thing for over 60 years—and it has failed for over 60 years. Let's try something different—let's open things up! Let's lift the embargo, giving US businesses, entrepreneurs, tourists, and universities more access. Let's push for freedom and democracy through diplomacy and engagement. Let's let Cubans who live on the island decide their own future—not Marco Rubio or Donald Trump," the lawmaker added.
The bill in question would "repeal or amend several laws codified over decades that restrict trade, exchange, telecommunications, and travel with Cuba," McGovern said on his website. He noted that a similar bill was introduced by Democratic colleagues in the Senate Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, from Oregon.
Originally published on Latin Times
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