BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC – Prime Minister John Briceño, Monday, called for immediate international talks to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Cuba, driven by severe shortages of petroleum products.
Briceño, addressing a joint sitting of the National Assembly in honour of the visit of the Guyanese leader, Dr. Irfaan Ali, reiterated that the Caribbean should remain a zone of peace and that his country believes in non-interference in the internal affairs of states.
“We view with serious concern recent events in our region, which clearly undermined this principle. More concerning for us is the recently proclaimed executive order, which is likely to have grave consequences for the people of Cuba.
“The government of Belize stands in full solidarity with the Cuban people, “ he said, adding that reduced oil supplies could trigger a “manufactured humanitarian disaster” in the country.
“We call for urgent good faith talks to avert a humanitarian crisis which is likely to emerge in the Republic of Cuba if there are ever decreasing deliveries of petroleum products. A manufactured humanitarian disaster is neither moral nor illegal,” he told legislators.
Oil supplies to Cuba have dwindled in recent weeks since the United States invaded Venezuela, detaining its leader, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife on drug trafficking and weapons-related charges.
“The government of Belize stands in full solidarity with the Cuban people,” Briceño added.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced that her government would send humanitarian aid to Cuba this week, despite growing pressure from Washington to cut off oil supplies to the island.
In his wide-ranging address to the Parliament, President Ali made no mention of the situation confronting Cuba, despite Guyana having benefited over the years from Cuba’s health brigade programme, which Washington has equated to modern-day slavery and has called on Caribbean countries to end the relationship with Havana.
Guyana has, in recent years, forged closer relations with the US to push back against Venezuela’s militarily aggressive claim to the Essequibo Region.
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