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POLITICS AND GOV'T :::: CARIBBEAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
Trump administration says it is ready to provide US$100 million in direct aid to Cuban people caribbeantimes.com
The Trump administration says it is ready to provide US$100 million in direct assistance to the Cuban peo- ple, if the Cuban regime will permit it. "The United States continues to seek meaningful reforms to Cuba's communist system, which has only served to enrich the elites and con- demn the Cuban people to poverty," said the State Department in a state- ment recently.
"As US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, the United States has also made numerous private offers to the Cuban regime to provide gener- ous assistance to the Cuban people, including support for free and fast satellite internet and US$100 million in direct humanitarian assistance," it added.
"The regime refuses to allow the United States to provide this assis- tance to the Cuban people, who are in desperate need of assistance due to the failures of Cuba's corrupt
Cuban people that would be dis- tributed in coordination with the Catholic Church and other reliable independent humanitarian organi- zations."
The State Department said the decision rests with the Cuban Gov- ernment to accept the offer of assis- tance or deny "critical living-saving aid and ultimately be accountable to the Cuban people for standing in the way of critical assistance."
regime," the State Department con- tinued. "Today, the Department of State is publicly restating the United States' generous offer to provide an additional US$100 million in di- rect humanitarian assistance to the Cuban ambassador says US should lift oil blockade and economic embargo
Dominica's support, especially at the United Nations General Assembly.
"We have to say that we are grate- ful for the support of Dominica, the solidarity of Dominica in every in- ternational space, you know, in the international arena. They have been, you know, brave and they have been honest in supporting, you know, the Cuban people." Fraga said that every year, the US policy towards Cuba is losing support especially at the Unit- ed Nations where "the majority of the countries of the world support a res- olution that Cuba introduced asking for the end of the sanctions.
"And for us, it's, you know, it's amazing to see countries like Dominica that speak there with dignity, with proud, in support of that reso- lution. So, yes, again, this is not, you know, only a relation that we see that is from one side. This is for both sides. "And we appreciate the love of the people of Dominica and the support of the people and the government of Dominica," Fraga told the special radio program commemorating the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relait should end the trade embargo that has been in place since February 7, January, President Trump issued an executive order threatening Mexico with tariffs if they send oil to Cuba.
"So the reason that we are in this situation is not because the Cuban government is doing nothing. And as a matter of fact, in the last year, we have put in place more than 1,000 megawatts in solar panels," he said, acknowledging that Cuba is a big
ROSEAU, Dominica Cuba's Ambassador to Dominica, Miguel Manuel Fraga Gonzalez, has brushed aside a United States offer of US$100 million humanitarian aid package, reiterating Havana's decades' old call for Washington to lift the trade and economic embargo on the Caribbean island. Earlier this month, the Don- ald Trump administration offered the aid package to help the Cuban people amid an energy and fuel cri- sis, stipulating that the funds would be distributed through the Catholic Church and other independent hu- manitarian organizations.
But Fraga, speaking on the state- owned DBS radio on Monday night where he expressed Havana's appre- ciation for the 30-year diplomatic re- lations with Dominica, said if Wash- ington is serious about its aid package
"What we say is, you want to send oil? You want to send food? You want to send medicines? No problem. We are still waiting. We are still waiting to see what is going to be, what they are going to send for the value of $100 million.
"But our position is always clear. Remove the sanctions. If you really want to help the Cuban people, remove the sanctions. Because we were getting oil from Mexico.
country with 10 million people. Ear- lier, the Cuban diplomat told radio listeners that Dominica has remained a faithful partner of Cuba since they established diplomatic relations 30 years ago and that Havana appreciates
"But our position is always clear. Remove the sanctions. If you really want to help the Cuban people, re- move the sanctions. Because we were getting oil from Mexico. They were selling oil to Cuba." Fraga said that in tions.
Cuba condemns 'despicable accusation' against
Raul Castro
ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada - Cuba recently condemned “in the stron- gest terms" what it described as the despicable accusation by the Unit- ed States Department of Justice against former president Raul Cas- tro. Washington announced crimi- nal charges against the 94-year-old brother of revolutionist Fidel Cas- tro, in what political observers say is the latest escalation of tensions between the two countries. Raul is reportedly charged with conspiracy to kill US nationals, destruction of an aircraft, and murder, alongside several other defendants listed in the indictment.
The charges reportedly stem from a 1996 incident where two ci- vilian aeroplanes were shot down, killing four men, including three American citizens. At the time, Castro was Cuba's defense minis- ter and is alleged to have ordered the attack. The aircraft reportedly belonged to the Cuban-American exile organization Brothers to the Rescue.
Speaking at Freedom Tower in Miami, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that the US would also charge Castro with destruction of aircraft, and four in- dividual counts of murder over the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr, Carlos Alberto Costa, Mario Man- uel de la Peña, and Pablo Morales. "The United States, and President Trump, does not, and will not, for- get its citizens," Blanche said.
But in a statement issued here, the Cuban Embassy said that "the United States government lacks the legitimacy and jurisdiction to carry out this action. "It is a despicable and infamous act of political provo- cation, based on the dishonest ma- nipulation of the incident that led to the downing, in February 1996, of two aircraft operated by the Mi- ami-based terrorist organization Brothers to the Rescue over Cuban airspace, which repeated violations of Cuban airspace for hostile pur- poses were of common knowledge." Further, Havana said that Wash- Continued on page 31