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WASHINGTON - The United States today rebuffed a recent offer by Cuba for talks and said Havana had become even more hard-line since Raul Castro stepped in for his ailing brother Fidel Castro.
Assistant Secretary of State Tom Shannon, the top US diplomat for Latin America, made clear Washington would only deal with Raul Castro's government when it showed commitment to a peaceful transition to democracy and not before.
"In Cuba there is not that commitment to democracy," Shannon said in a briefing to reporters.
Earlier this month, Raul Castro, Cuba's acting president, made a direct offer of talks with the United States. The younger Castro became acting president after his brother underwent emergency intestinal surgery in July.
Shannon said there had been a greater crackdown on dissent since the younger Castro effectively took over.
"It is a transfer of power that is in an uncomfortable moment. With Fidel still alive (and Raul in place), the regime has actually become harder and more orthodox and is not in a position to signal in any meaningful way what direction it will take post-Fidel," said Shannon.
"We have not been able to detect any political figures who could be reformers," he added.
Shannon said he did not have an update on Castro's health, but the fact that Castro had failed to turn up for his own birthday celebration this month was "significant."
As Castro's end neared, he said the regime would likely become even tougher. "It has shown a willingness to respond to any action in Cuban society that might challenge the state and that is not a good sign."
The United States is grappling with how to tackle Cuba after Fidel's death and Shannon conceded he was getting lots of advice from many people on how to deal with Cuba.
"There is genuine and honest disagreement with how you best approach a regime
- REUTERS
