Arizona Tribune - Cuba has 'technocrats' willing to negotiate, Rubio says

Rubio, born of Cuban parents in Florida, was asked at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing about the possibility of finding interlocutors within Cuba's communist regime.

"I think there are specific, maybe technocrats, that you could work with," he said. "I think it's a little harder when you get higher up because of the ideological bent that some of them have."

Cuba is under growing pressure from the United States, which has maintained an economic embargo since 1962 and more recently has used the threat of sanctions to choke off fuel shipments.

Washington has also filed criminal charges against a key leader of the communist revolution, former president Raul Castro, who is 94.

Washington says it wants to see a transition in Cuba toward democracy and a more open economy and a shift away from ties with US adversaries.

"I think there are clearly people within the technocratic realm of the government that could play some role in all of this," Rubio said.

"But ultimately, if you're asking me, is there a singular individual right now that we would trust and rely on to lead this transition from start to finish, I can't give you that name right now."

Rubio added that "there are clearly individuals within the apparatus of power in that country that understand that what they have now is not sustainable and needs to be fixed," but said those people "don't have power" and "even if they have power, they don't know how" to make the changes the US is pushing for.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to the Cuban capital in mid-May, and last week representatives of the US and Cuban militaries met at the gates of the US military base at Guantanamo Bay.

Also, Trump administration officials and businesspeople have met with other members of the Castro family, such as Raul Castro's grandson, Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro.

W.Morales--AT