MIAMI, United States. – Advisors close to the Secretary of State of the United States, the Cuban-American Marco Rubio, held a meeting this Wednesday in Basseterre, capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis, with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, grandson of Raúl Castro, within the framework of the annual summit of Caribbean leaders (CARICOM), while efforts continue to negotiate economic and political changes in Cuba, as reported The New Herald.
According to the Miami-based newspaper, Several sources with knowledge of the meeting – who requested anonymity because they were delicate negotiations – indicated that Rodríguez Castro, popularly known as El Cangrejo, met with one of Rubio’s advisors at a hotel near where the 50th regular meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM was taking place.
The Herald He noted that it was not clear if Rubio met personally with Rodríguez Castro, although he interpreted that his team’s contact with Raúl Castro’s grandson would confirm that President Donald Trump’s Administration sees him as a key actor in Washington’s efforts to promote reforms on the Island.
The report acknowledged that Rodríguez Castro does not hold an official position in the Cuban Government or the Communist Party, but described him as Raúl Castro’s closest collaborator and bodyguard. He added that he is credited with influencing GAESAthe business conglomerate of the Armed Forces that controls a good part of the country’s economy.
According to the report signed by Cuban journalist Nora Gámez, Rodríguez Castro arrived in Saint Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday accompanied by a Cuban protocol officer and left the Caribbean country that same day.
Rubio, for his part, arrived on the island early on Wednesday after attending President Trump’s State of the Union address the night before, and held his first meeting with Caribbean leaders shortly before 12:30 p.m.
The core of Wednesday’s talks between U.S. officials and Raúl Castro’s grandson, sources told The Heraldwas the possibility of gradually easing US sanctions in exchange for Cuban leaders implementing changes “month by month.” In addition, the media indicated that a more formal meeting between officials of the Cuban Government and the State Department was expected on Thursday, according to the sources consulted.
In parallel, a Caribbean diplomat familiar with Rubio’s exchanges with regional leaders told the Miami Herald that, in private conversations, Rubio maintained that the discussions with the Cuban Government were “very advanced” and that the United States was “quite close” to getting Cuba to change its system, although another source cited by the media assured that there was still no closed agreement.
After meeting with Rubio, the President of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, stated that they held “deliberate and focused discussions” on several issues, including Cuba, and spoke of a “framework” in which CARICOM could participate to address “transitions” that he considered necessary for the Cuban people, as reproduced The Herald.
Before Rubio’s arrival, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness urged the bloc’s leaders to address the Cuban issue with “clarity and courage” and expressed support for “constructive dialogue” between Havana and Washington aimed at “de-escalation, reform and stability.”
In a subsequent press conference, Rubio avoided confirming previous reports about contacts with Rodríguez Castro and stated: “I am not going to comment on any conversation we have had.” He added that the United States is “always prepared” to speak with officials of any government who wish to share information or views with Washington. “Cuba is a country located 90 miles from the coast of the United States. It has a very severe and catastrophic economic crisis on its hands,” he said.
Rubio also suggested that Washington is not seeking an immediate regime change and that it is pushing economic transformations first, with a gradual approach. “Cuba needs to change, and it doesn’t have to do it all at once,” he asserted.
Previously, on February 19, the permanent representative of the Cuban Government to the UN, Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, described as “speculation” the information about alleged contacts between Rubio and Rodríguez Castro, and assured that Havana was guided by “public and verifiable facts.” According to the American portal Axiosat that time the Secretary of State would have held “secret conversations” with El Cangrejo in the context of increased pressure from Washington on the Island.
