BASSETERRE: Caribbean leaders called for dialogue and de-escalation on Tuesday amid mounting tensions over a United States oil embargo on Cuba and a series of U.S. security actions in the region.
At the opening of the four-day summit of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), leaders from 15 Caribbean and American nations voiced concern over the humanitarian and regional implications of recent U.S. policies.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, the outgoing CARICOM chair, urged “constructive dialogue between Cuba and the United States aimed at de-escalation, reform and stability”.
“We must address the situation in Cuba with clarity and courage,” Holness said, describing Cuba as a longstanding regional partner whose doctors and teachers have served across the Caribbean.
He warned that worsening economic hardship and energy shortages in Cuba could have spillover effects on migration, security and economic stability across the Caribbean basin.
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Cuba’s U.N. resident coordinator, Francisco Pichón, said on Monday that the U.S. oil embargo had hampered aid deliveries to areas still recovering from Hurricane Melissa, which struck eastern Cuba as a Category 3 storm in late October. Fuel shortages were affecting logistics nationwide, he said.
St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew, the incoming CARICOM chair, appealed for greater humanitarian support for Cuba and said the regional bloc should serve as a conduit for dialogue.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is due to meet Caribbean leaders on Wednesday during the summit.
In recent months, Washington has pressed regional governments to reconsider Cuban medical missions, limit ties with China and consider hosting U.S. military equipment. The United States has also conducted strikes targeting suspected drug-trafficking vessels in Caribbean waters, drawing criticism from families of victims and regional civil society groups.
The latest reported strike on Monday killed three people in the Caribbean Sea. U.S. authorities have not publicly presented evidence linking the targeted boats to narcotics trafficking.