Exclusive interview granted by Ambassador Alexander Pellicer Moraga to Wafica Ibrahim of the Al Mayadeen channel
Al Mayadeen spoke with the Hon. Mr. Alexander Pellicer Moraga, Ambassador of Cuba in Lebanon, on the events that occurred in the early hours of Thursday, April 30, 2020, when a man shot at the Cuban Embassy in the United States; and what has been the position taken by the US government, several months after the incident.
Terrorism is a serious challenge for the international community. The impunity with which some governments - such as the United States - carry out and undo, overlap and even enhance, actions of this type against other peoples, violating International Rights, is a hammer that hits both against the hard anvil that Cuba represents. ; resisting.
Wafica: More than five months have elapsed since the machine-gunning of the Cuban Embassy in Washington, on April 30, has there already been a response from the United States?
"As is known, the attacker was detained by the US authorities in front of the Cuban Embassy, after firing 32 shots with an automatic weapon against the facade of the diplomatic mission, causing significant material damage."
"Five months have passed since that event and the United States government has maintained a complicit silence about this serious incident."
"From the first moment, Cuba denounced this act as a terrorist act, with the intention to kill, a direct result of the aggressive and hostile policy of the United States government against the island; but the government of that country has remained reluctant to classify it as such. , This has been demonstrated from the charges that are imputed to the aggressor where none typifies as terrorism. "
However, parallel to this complicit silence, the US president has repeatedly referred to Cuba, accusing it of being a country that promotes terrorism.
"The attitude of the Trump administration in this case contradicts its own counter-terrorism rhetoric.
"While it includes Cuba on a spurious list of countries that do not cooperate with the United States' counter-terrorism efforts, it does not recognize the terrorist nature of the attack against our Embassy, which demonstrates its history of state terrorism against Cuba and the impunity of which violent groups enjoy within their territory. "
Wafica: Cuba, a small country, blocked for more than 60 years and with the boot of consecutive US administrations trying to step on its throat; stands firm. What is the position assumed by the Island in the face of this new arbitrariness?
"The absence of a public condemnation of the attack against our Embassy demonstrates the permissiveness and tolerance of the Trump administration with the instigation of violence and hostility against Cuba by politicians and anti-Cuban extremist groups.
"Cuba once again denounces the double standards of the United States government in its treatment and confrontation with terrorism, which cannot be completely eradicated as long as manipulation, political opportunism and selectivity continue to be used according to geopolitical and hegemonic interests."
"The United States government must acknowledge and publicly denounce the terrorist nature of this attack and share all the information about it with Cuba."
"Failure to do so amounts to complicit silence and tolerance of terrorism."
Wafica: Thank you very much for updating us on the subject.
"Thank you. Receive warm greetings and recognition from our Embassy for the professionalism and objectivity with which they approach the reality of Lebanon, Cuba and the world every day."