The xenophobic U.S. is expected to take initial measures soon after the Cuban protests-officials provide Reuters

Authors: Matt Spetalnick, Daphne Psaledakis and Simon Lewis

WASHINGTON (Reuters)-US State Department officials said Monday that as part of the Biden administration’s review of Cuba’s policy and its response to Havana’s suppression of the largest street protests in decades, the United States is expected to announce initial steps soon.

The comments of senior officials further indicate that after his predecessor Donald Trump canceled the historic easing of the Obama era and Havana, President Joe Biden is not ready to soften the attitude of the United States, and that the recent turmoil in Cuba will have a major impact on any country. influences. Policy trends.

Officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity that the Biden administration is still seeking ways to alleviate the humanitarian plight of the Cuban people, while at the same time exerting pressure on the government led by the Communist Party of Havana.

Biden said last week that he is currently not prepared to relax restrictions on remittances or payments Americans can make to family members on the island because of concerns that the Cuban government will confiscate most of the funds.

But an official from the U.S. State Department said that Washington is closely considering a possible workaround to restore remittance flows that were shut down during the Trump era by preventing the Cuban government from holding funds.

The official declined to elaborate, but said that it will take time to develop such a mechanism. He said: “I don’t expect to relax in the short term.”

A week ago, thousands of Cubans spontaneously staged anti-government protests to protest the shortage of basic commodities and power outages caused by the economic crisis. They also protested the way the government handled the coronavirus pandemic and restricted civil liberties. Dozens of activists were detained.

The Cuban government blamed the protests on the economic difficulties caused by the use of US sanctions by “counter-revolutionaries” funded by the United States.

‘The primary task’

The turmoil seems to have injected a new sense of urgency into the Cuban policy review, which began shortly after Biden took office in January, but until now, it has been considered the first priority when the government responds to the economic recovery and the coronavirus pandemic. Agenda item. Domestic and foreign challenges such as China, Russia and Iran.

“The events that happened last week will definitely have an impact on the policy. …I expect that in a fairly short period of time, the senior U.S. government will communicate on the initial steps,” an official said, but declined to provide specific details.

The official said that Cuba is now a “top priority.” “This is a historic moment in Cuba, because protesters have appeared in more than 58 locations on the island, with tens of thousands of people, demanding changes in their government,” the official said.

As part of the review—even before the protests—we are considering whether to remove the label that the United States has designated Cuba as a “national supporter of terrorism,” the label Trump gave to Havana a few days before he left office.

But State Department officials said there is no timetable for making a decision on this issue.

State Department officials said that Cuba continues to support Venezuelan Socialist President Nicolas Maduro (Nicolas Maduro) and his government is also sanctioned by the United States, which is also an important factor in the review of Cuba’s overall policy. Maduro not only retained power with the support of his military and Cuban allies, but also received support from Russia, China, and Iran.

During the presidential campaign, Democrat Biden vowed to relax some of the sanctions imposed by Republican Trump on Cuba.

But analysts say that the protests have complicated Biden’s political leeway, especially after he did not perform as expected among voters in the anti-communist Cuban-American community in southern Florida. This supports Trump’s treatment of Havana and Caracas. His tough policy helped him win the battlefield.

Many analysts said that Biden may have to be cautious about Cuban policy before the 2022 congressional elections.