Diaz-Canel: US report reaffirms truth about 'acoustic attacks'

In this article:

By:

Fecha de publicación:

12 February 2021

Imagen principal:

Havana, Feb 12 (Prensa Latina) President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Friday that the recently revealed report on the incident that allegedly harmed the health of United States diplomats accredited in Cuba reaffirms the position defended by Cuba.

On his Twitter account, the president pointed out that the document confirms what Cuba stated on the basis of scientific research: the alleged 'acoustic attacks' served as a pretext for the Donald Trump administration to accuse without evidence and damage bilateral relations.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez reiterated Cuba's willingness to cooperate with the United States in the investigations into these events, and pointed that a serious declassification of information on the matter will reveal how far former President Donald Trump, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Senator Marco Rubio went 'to artificially justify a setback in bilateral relations'.

'Some day it will be possible to clarify what happened and what did not,' added the Foreign Minister, who confirmed that Cuba maintains the willingness to work effectively with US authorities, both politically and scientifically, to find a solution.

A report published on Thursday by the Accountability Review Board (ARB) on the website of the US National Security Agency (NSA) acknowledged that the alleged sonic attacks remain a mystery.

The internal document of the State Department, classified as secret and recently declassified, indicates that 18 months after the events, which occurred in 2016 and 2017, it is still unknown what happened or why, or who did it.

It adds that the Trump administration's response to the so-called Havana syndrome was plagued by mismanagement and poor leadership, as there was not even a high-level official designated as general responsible of an investigation, and there was also a lack of coordination and monitoring of the established procedures, as well as ineffective communications and systemic disorganization.

Despite this, what happened at the US Embassy in Cuba in late September 2017 was used as a justification for reducing the number of outposted personnel by more than 60 percent and effectively closing the US Consulate, without conducting a risk and benefits assessment.