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Cuba Calls Trump Speech ‘Grotesque Spectacle’

United President Donald Trump’s speech on Cuba was a “grotesque spectacle” straight out of the Cold War and will strengthen patriotism on the island, Cuban … Continue reading Cuba Calls Trump Speech ‘Grotesque Spectacle’


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United President Donald Trump’s speech on Cuba was a “grotesque spectacle” straight out of the Cold War and will strengthen patriotism on the island, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said at a news conference on Monday.

Speaking in Vienna during a tour of European countries, Rodriguez also said Cuba would not accede to Trump’s demand to return fugitives sought by the United States.

In a setback to the U.S.-Cuban detente negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama, Trump on Friday ordered tighter restrictions on Americans travelling to the Caribbean island and a clampdown on dealings with its military, which owns many of the capital city’s top establishments.

Trump stopped short of closing embassies or breaking diplomatic relations restored in 2015 after more than five decades of hostility and will not cut off recently resumed direct U.S.-Cuba commercial flights – though his more restrictive policy seems certain to dampen new economic ties.

The administration, according to one White House official, does not intend to “disrupt” existing business ventures such as one struck under Obama by Starwood Hotels, which is owned by Marriott International Inc., to manage a Havana hotel.

Nor are there plans to reinstate limits that Obama lifted on the amount of the island’s coveted rum and cigars that Americans can bring home for personal use.

As a result, the changes – though far-reaching – appear to be less sweeping than many U.S. pro-engagement advocates had feared.