Washington slams Cuba reforms as ‘superficial’

Cuban lawmakers approved the biggest overhaul of the island’s economic model to rescue it from a severe crisis aggravated by a US oil blockade. (EPA Images pic)

WASHINGTON: The US state department on Friday slammed Cuban economic reforms announced the previous day as “superficial smoke signals.”

“These gradual ‘economic reforms’ are modest, long overdue and ultimately superficial smoke signals from the Cuban regime,” a state department spokesperson told AFP.

Cuban lawmakers on Thursday adopted nearly 200 free-market reforms aimed at rescuing the communist island from a severe crisis aggravated by a US oil blockade.

It represented the biggest shake-up of the island’s economic model since it began embracing communism six decades ago.

But for Washington, the spokesperson described the reforms as “part of the dictatorship’s handbook.”

“Announce a cycle of supposed reforms to insinuate a desire for change, then quickly roll back any changes the moment the regime’s total control is at all threatened,” the spokesperson said.

“President Trump continues to apply pressure to drive much more substantial economic and political reforms that would make Cuba investable … and give the Cuban people the freedom, dignity and opportunity they deserve.”

US President Donald Trump in January cut off oil supplies to Cuba from its main supplier Venezuela after Washington deposed Venezuela’s then-president Nicolas Maduro in a military operation.

In addition to growing economic pressure, Washington also indicted former president Raul Castro, the brother of historic leader Fidel Castro, in a case dating back to 1996.

Trump claims that Cuba, which lies 150km off Florida’s coast, poses a major threat to US national security and has suggested Washington could launch a “takeover” of the island of 9.6 million people.