In Cuba, a 'Solidarity Caravan' Has Arrived

Some 650 delegates from 33 countries and 120 organizations began arriving in Cuba on Friday as part of a solidarity caravan transporting some 20 tons of humanitarian aid as the island grapples with a severe energy crisis. Members of "Our America Convoy to Cuba" arrived by air from Italy, France, Spain, the US, and several Latin American countries, and more are scheduled to arrive by sea on Saturday in a flotilla of three vessels from Mexico, organizers reported. A group of activists arrived in Havana on Wednesday in advance and delivered donations to hospitals.

The visit comes amid heightened tensions between Cuba and the US, whose governments have acknowledged holding talks after US President Trump imposed an oil embargo. Earlier this week, Trump said he expected to have the "honor" of "taking Cuba in some form," adding: "I can do anything I want." Solar panels, food, and medicine to treat cancer are among the products donated to the island, which has been brought to a near standstill since Trump imposed an energy embargo in January, exacerbating a five-year economic crisis as his administration pressures for a change in the political system.

"In the end, we are dozens and dozens of delegates, and we represent millions of people in this convoy," says American David Adler, coordinator of Progressive International, one of the caravan's organizers. "We cannot allow this collective punishment. We cannot normalize it." Meanwhile, Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio on Friday refuted comments about a change in the political system or the potential departure of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel as part of the ongoing talks between the two sides. "The Cuban political system is not up for negotiation, nor is the president, nor the position of any official in Cuba, subject to negotiation with the United States or with the government of any other country," he noted.