Media in the U.S.: Cuban leader publicly acknowledges direct talks with the United States

U.S. The Washington Post website reported on March 14: Under the U.S. stringent sanctions, oil blockade, and takeover threats, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on Friday that the Cuban government has held direct talks with the United States "to find a way to resolve bilateral differences through dialogue."

The report said that this admission was made in a public speech at a government and Communist Party high-level meeting in Havana. This confirmed widespread reports of recent secret meetings between high-ranking officials of the Trump administration and former president and party chairman Raúl Castro, who still holds influence.

"We want to avoid manipulation and speculation," Díaz-Canel said in a press conference after his speech. He said the talks were still "in their first phase ... to establish an agenda" that high-level groups of officials on both sides would address.

He also said, "We must build space for us to move forward."

The report said that just hours before Díaz-Canel's speech, the government announced the release of 51 prisoners, the latest step in a gradual amnesty following mass arrests in 2021, but the names of the prisoners were not disclosed, and it is unclear whether they are "political prisoners."

The report said that President Trump clearly stated that after overthrowing Venezuela's strongman Nicolas Maduro in January and initiating a war against Iran, Cuba would be his next target to undermine. Trump said last weekend that the U.S. "expects great changes to come in Cuba," while Cuba was in a "dead end" and "the final moments of survival."

"They are furious," Trump said on Monday, "this could be a friendly takeover or not. It doesn't matter."

The original title of the report was "Cuba acknowledges secret meetings with U.S. as Trump dials up threats" (Cuba acknowledges secret meetings with the U.S., while Trump increases threats).

Original: toutiao.com/article/1859579133778954/

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