In an unusual attempt to get President Trump’s attention, the grandson of former Cuban leader Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro commissioned wealthy Havana businessman Roberto Carlos Chamiz González to deliver the letter to the White House outside of standard diplomatic channels. This was stated by one current and one former US official for the WSJ.
The letter had the form of a diplomatic note and bore the official Cuban seal. According to sources, it contained proposals for economic and investment cooperation, easing sanctions, and at the same time warned that the Cuban regime was preparing for a possible invasion by the United States.
However, the courier was detained by the American authorities after arriving in Miami. A Customs and Border Protection agent seized the letter and the man was sent back to Havana.
The White House did not specify whether it had received the letter and referred to the president’s recent comments on Cuba. The reason for the detention of the courier at the airport has not yet been published.
According to the WSJ, the Cuban government was apparently trying to address Trump directly, without the involvement of Foreign Minister Marco Rubio. Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, has long advocated a tougher approach to the Cuban regime and pressure for political changes on the island.
According to analysts, Trump could be more open to concluding an economic agreement with Cuba, even at the cost of maintaining most of the current regime – similar to the case of Venezuela. However, such an approach would be unacceptable for the majority of Cubans living in the USA.
“Watch What Happens”
“Seventy years of waiting … and now comes a new dawn for Cuba. We will help Cuba,” Trump said Friday, pointing to the large Cuban-American community. He added that “they were brutally treated and their families were killed and exposed to violence”.
“Now watch what happens,” Trump added. The administration has not yet indicated whether specific steps are being taken towards Cuba, or in what time frame. Speculation about the preparation for the operation has been growing stronger in recent days.
Cuba is facing a long-term economic crisis accompanied by fuel shortages, power outages and limited access to food and medicine. Cuban officials attribute much of the problem to decades of US sanctions, while US officials point to structural weaknesses in the economy.
The US and Cuba reportedly hold talks approximately every two weeks. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said that Cuba will defend itself in the event of aggression.
