Trump Threatens to Reverse Obama's Cuba Thaw Unless Concessions Made
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – US president-elect Donald Trump has threatened to reverse the easing of diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba unless the Cuban government makes concessions to Washington.
That deal was struck in 2014 by US President Barack Obama and Raul Castro, the Cuban president, and saw diplomatic ties restored, trade expanded and travel between the two countries increased after a half century of frozen relations.
In the days after the death of Fidel Castro, Raul’s brother and the Cuban leader for five decades Trump and his top advisers have foreshadowed a hawkish approach to the Communist island.
Reince Priebus, who will serve as Trump’s chief of staff, said that the incoming administration would “absolutely” roll back those policies unless Cuba made fundamental changes.
“We’re not going to have a unilateral deal coming from Cuba back to the United States without some changes in their government,” he said, the Telegraph reported on Monday.
“Repression, open markets, freedom of religion, political prisoners—these things need to change in order to have open and free relationships, and that’s what president-elect Trump believes, and that’s where he’s going to head.”
Kellyanne Conway, another top Trump adviser, said Trump would only open “new conversations” with Havana if a “very different Cuba” emerged.
“He wants to make sure that when the United States of America, when he’s president, engages in any type of diplomatic relations or trade agreements… that we as America are being protected and we as America are getting something in return,” she said.
