"Ratcliffe met with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas and the head of Cuban intelligence services, and discussed intelligence cooperation, economic stability and security issues. A CIA official confirmed the meetings to the AP. Ratcliffe was there "to personally deliver President Donald Trump's message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes," the CIA official said."
"An official statement from Cuba's government noted that Thursday's meeting "took place ... against a backdrop of complex bilateral relations." While the U.S. stressed that Cuba cannot continue to be a "safe haven for adversaries in the Western Hemisphere," the Cuban delegation insisted that the island presents no threat to U.S. security. Cuban officials also took issue with the nation's continued inclusion on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism."
"Rodríguez Castro previously secretly met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of a Caribbean Community summit in St. Kitts in February. While he's never occupied a government post, he served as his grandfather's bodyguard and later as head of Cuba's equivalent of the Secret Service. U.S. and Cuban officials also met earlier this year in Cuba."
"The ongoing meetings between U.S. and Cuban officials mark the first U.S. government flights to land in Cuba other than at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay since 2016. Thursday's meeting comes weeks after the Cuban government confirmed that it had recently met with U.S. officials on the island as tensions between the two sides remain high over the U.S. energy blockade of the Caribbean country and as Cuba's power grid has coll"
CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials during a high-level visit to Cuba, including Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas, and the head of Cuban intelligence services. The meetings focused on intelligence cooperation, economic stability, and security issues. Ratcliffe delivered President Donald Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to engage seriously on economic and security matters if Cuba makes fundamental changes. Cuba characterized the meeting as occurring amid complex bilateral relations and emphasized that Cuba does not pose a threat to U.S. security. Cuban officials also objected to Cuba’s continued inclusion on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. The visit followed earlier U.S.-Cuban meetings and marked the first U.S. government flights to land in Cuba outside Guantánamo Bay since 2016.
#us-cuba-relations #cia-and-intelligence-cooperation #economic-and-security-engagement #terrorism-designation #diplomatic-meetings
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