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US Weighs New Limits on Cuban Travel 09/25 06:37
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The Trump administration was considering imposing new
restrictions on Cuban officials who travel to the United Nations, another
https://apnews.com/article/us-sanctions-cuba-economy-castro-power-energy-outages
-621f86ef80bf116ff69814f9777a444c as its top diplomat accused the United States
on Thursday of unleashing collective punishment on Cuba's people with its
intensifying measures.
Even as a sizable Cuban delegation was approved to come to
https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations this week, the State Department is now
weighing "strict controls" on the officials who plan to return next month for
an annual U.N. vote on the decadeslong
https://apnews.com/article/cuba-embargo-us-un-general-assembly-9c48b48775f0089ba
7c0156590c3a86e.
That is according to U.S. officials and an internal document obtained by The
Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because a
decision on the details of what the restrictions will entail has not yet been
finalized.
Potential plans to further restrict officials in New York for diplomatic
work come as Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodrguez bemoaned the "lack of
progress" in negotiations between Havana and Washington. He also blasted the
https://apnews.com/article/cuba-power-outage-electricity-4dcd92d4b7b3bbeda88622b
543074ceb that
https://apnews.com/article/oil-cuba-tariffs-trump-mexico-30f1d74a766fee23001684a
5bb8079d9 on the Caribbean island nation in January.
"What defines the present status of the Cuba-U.S. relations is the brutal
tightening of the economic and financial blockade and the total oil siege
imposed on our country, which is equivalent to a naval blockade," Rodrguez
said in Spanish during an AP interview on the sidelines of the annual U.N.
General Assembly gathering of world leaders.
His comments, made through a translator, follow President Donald
https://apnews.com/article/trump-united-nations-unga-iran-ai-f7cb0b3ebc492446c0b
e97ed3a6843aa Tuesday, when he again called Cuba a "failed state" and said he
was "seeking a fundamental change in the situation in Cuba."
His administration has been trying to force changes to Cuba's political
system by cutting off fuel to the island, leading to
https://apnews.com/article/cuba-power-outage-0f180c8e414898dbe34875d3d82b8016
that affect basic activities such as cooking, water supply, and internet and
telephone service.
"Communism will never be coming to America, but freedom will be coming to
Cuba," Trump said at the U.N.
US-Cuba negotiations once again reach an impasse
Rodrguez, who has served as foreign minister since 2009, said that while no
meetings now are scheduled with U.S. officials, "Cuba remains willing to keep
these channel of contacts open."
He refused to say when the last talks took place, noting that while past
conversations have been "respectful," the public statements and policy
decisions made by U.S. officials afterward have been "extremely aggressive."
Millions of people have
https://apnews.com/article/cuba-power-water-fuel-trump-crisis-a444d13a7567195762
ac54f389687c40 as Cuba's power grid has collapsed at least six times since the
U.S. energy blockade began at the start of the year. The restrictions prevent
Cuba from importing fuel needed to operate its thermoelectric power plants or
replacement parts to maintain infrastructure that in many cases has become
obsolete.
Other U.S. measures have included imposing more economic penalties on
industries in
https://apnews.com/article/trump-cuba-sanctions-diazcanel-1cd7096822e8397dbfeffa
f8e70aa536 and broadening enforcement of laws that bar Americans who visit the
island from dealings with government-owned or -affiliated businesses.
"These measures hamper some processes that could lead to discussion of
things in the common interests of both nations," Rodrguez said.
Havana has recently integrated historic economic reforms, opening up the
island to the private sector. Officials, including Rodrguez, have said these
are not concessions to the U.S., but they are moving in the direction the Trump
administration wants.
Cuban delegation could face new obstacles to visit United Nations
Rodrguez and other members of his government are planning to return to New
York next month for the annual U.N. General Assembly vote on the U.S. economic
embargo against Cuba -- a vote that has historically condemned American policy
toward the island by overwhelming margins.
Cuban officials already face heavy restrictions in New York and Washington
due to their U.S. designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, with travel and
commuting limited to a 25-mile radius of the U.N. headquarters in Manhattan.
But any new U.S. travel restrictions could make it more difficult or
impossible for Cuban officials to attend the vote, which has been taking place
for more than three decades.
Last year, Washington's isolation on the issue was softened as countries
like Argentina, Ukraine and Hungary -- all closely allied with the Trump
administration -- rejected the Cuban-backed effort even as friction has grown
in the region around
https://apnews.com/article/trump-military-operations-latin-american-western-hemi
sphere-a1fccf4414e44341d3dbd54e19ae1ba4.
While General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, they reflect
world opinion.
Rodrguez told the AP last year that the U.S. had mounted a pressure
campaign to influence the vote. He said then that Havana had heard from other
countries, mainly in Europe, that the State Department was encouraging them to
vote against the resolution.
In response, a State Department spokesperson said last year that "the Cuban
regime does not deserve the backing of America's democratic allies."
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