US lies on Cuba pose serious danger for the region

Havana, Apr 22 - Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez described today as a serious danger to the region the "repeated lies" of the head of the United States Southern Command, Craig Faller, on alleged links of the island with drug trafficking.

In his Twitter account, the Cuban Foreign Minister (Minrex) stated that the North American government knows "the exemplary performance of our country and still fabricates excuses to justify aggressive behavior in the days of Covid-19."

Last week, the Cuban Foreign Ministry refuted information published by Newsweek magazine, which awarded accusations that drug shipments have occurred between Venezuela and Cuba to a "high official" of the United States Department of Defense.

The Minrex warned that such statement contrasts with the 'Report on the international strategy for the control of narcotics' of 2020, by the State Department, which assures that' Cuba is not a major consumer, producer or transit point for illicit drugs '.

The Washington document acknowledges that production and internal consumption in Cuba "remain low due to active surveillance, strict sentences and national prevention and public information programs."

The State Department publication notes that the Caribbean island "devotes significant resources to prevent the spread of illicit drugs and their use, and regional traffickers generally avoid Cuba."

In previous accusations, also through his Twitter account, the Cuban foreign minister pointed to the United States as the main threat to stability, peace and well-being in Latin America.

Rodríguez considered the remarks of the head of the Southern Command irresponsible, who, when testifying before the Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives, announced an increase in the US military presence in the hemisphere by 2020.

The military reported that the proclaimed force "will include a greater deployment of ships, planes and security forces to counter a series of threats."

The Cuban minister affirmed that this announcement, together with the renewal of the Washington executive order that considers Venezuela an "unusual and extraordinary" threat to its security, confirm the aggressive policy of the White House in the hemisphere. (PL)