Washington, Jan 28 (EFE). - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the administration of President Donald Trump would 'love' to see a regime change in Cuba, although he clarified that this does not mean Washington will provoke it. 'We would like that, but it does not mean that we are going to provoke a change, although we would love to see it.' Asked by lawmakers if the U.S. intends to use military force or other types of coercion to foment a regime change on the island, Rubio responded that U.S. law specifies as much. 'The U.S. embargo against Cuba is codified. It was codified into law and requires a regime change for us to lift the embargo,' declared the Secretary of State, son of Cuban immigrants. On Tuesday, Trump stated that Cuba is 'about to fall' because, after the ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, it no longer receives Venezuelan crude. These statements drew a response from the island's Ministry of Foreign Relations, which reiterated its 'firm anti-imperialist and unwavering position.' Havana and Washington are at a moment of greater verbal confrontation in decades, since last January 3, a U.S. military operation captured Maduro, who had maintained a strong political alliance and support by sending oil to the Caribbean island. Since then, Washington has reinforced the pressure on Havana and maintains that the Cuban government is on its last days because it believes that the end of Venezuelan oil shipments to the island will aggravate the economic crisis and provoke a regime change. Havana has condemned the intervention in Caracas as an 'act of terrorism,' has warned the U.S. that it 'will not tolerate intimidation or threats' and that 'there will be no understanding or negotiation with coercion' although it has expressed its willingness to maintain a dialogue 'with equality and respect.' 'There is no doubt that it would be a great benefit for the United States if Cuba ceased to be governed by an autocratic regime,' Rubio assured during his hearing before the Senate scheduled to report on the Administration's plans for Venezuela. Photo EFE. The entry 'Marco Rubio: 'We would love to see a regime change in Cuba'' was first published in La Verdad Panamá.
