HAVANA, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Thursday his government is expected to release a plan next week to address fuel shortages, as the United States takes steps to block oil supplies to the Caribbean island nation.
Tensions increased last week after the US announced that it would apply tariffs on products from countries that send oil to Cuba, raising food and transport prices, causing severe fuel shortages and hours of blackouts, even in the capital Havana.
US President Donald Trump said last month that Cuba will no longer receive oil from its biggest supplier, Venezuela.
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“(The US lockdown) affects public transport, hospitals, schools, the economy and tourism,” Diaz-Canel said in a wide-ranging two-hour televised press conference.
‘How do we cultivate our land? How do we get around? How do we keep our children in classes without fuel?’
‘We will take measures that, although not permanent, will require effort. Some… are restrictive, requiring us to adjust consumption and promote the economy. There are things we have to stop or postpone in order to continue operating in essential areas.’
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BLACKOUT
A substation failure caused a total blackout Wednesday night in five provinces in eastern Cuba, as the island’s government struggles to keep the lights on in the face of dwindling fuel supplies and failing infrastructure.
Diaz-Canel reiterated this Thursday previous statements by the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs agreeing to dialogue with the United States, but with conditions.
‘Cuba is willing to dialogue, but with the only requirement that the US government does not attempt to interfere in Cuba’s internal affairs, nor harm our sovereignty’, said the Cuban president.
Cuba’s top diplomat in the United States, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, told Reuters this week that Cuba had started communicating with the U.S. government but had not yet established a formal bilateral dialogue.
Diaz-Canel did not provide details about those talks or the measures to be implemented next week, but he outlined a broader plan for dealing with U.S. pressure.
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According to him, the island must increase solar energy generation and use renewable resources to guarantee electricity for essential services, including hospitals, elderly care centers and isolated regions.
Cuba produces about 1,000 megawatts, or 38% of its daytime generation, from solar panels, Diaz-Canel said. They were installed with Chinese support over the past two years.
Diaz-Canel said Cuba is working to increase crude oil extraction and storage capacity to increase its self-sufficiency.
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He also argues that Cuba has the ‘right’ to receive fuel deliveries by sea.
‘We will continue to take all necessary measures to ensure that the country can once again receive fuel imports,’ he said.
(Reporting by Dave Sherwood and Nelson Acosta)
