Cuba Says Maduro Must Be At Negotiating Table

(Bloomberg(

Cuba is willing to help negotiate a peaceful end to Venezuela’s political crisis if President Nicolas Maduro requests it, one of Havana’s top diplomats said.

The so-called Lima Group of nations sought to enlist the communist-run Caribbean island in brokering a solution to the standoff last week after opposition leader Juan Guaido’s attempt to overthrow the embattled president failed. Any role Cuba plays will be scrutinized by Maduro’s foes due to the country’s close ties with Chavismo over the past two decades.

“We are ready to help,” Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, head of the U.S. section at Cuba’s Foreign Ministry, said during an interview at Bloomberg’s headquarters in New York. Maduro, however, would have to be at the table. “It’s not Cuba, as it’s not the Lima Group, who should say who’s the leader of Venezuela.”

The diplomat’s comments come two days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reached out to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, and as the administration of President Donald Trump tightens sanctions on Havana while refusing to rule out military options in Venezuela. Read more