By Dave Sherwood and Nelson Acosta
HAVANA, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Thursday his government would roll out a plan in the next week to deal with fuel shortages as the U.S. moves to block the supply of oil to the Caribbean island nation.
Tensions spiraled last week after the U.S. said it would slap tariffs on goods from countries that send oil to Cuba, pushing up prices for food and transportation and prompting severe fuel shortages and hours of blackouts, even in the capital Havana.
U.S. President Donald Trump said last month Cuba would no longer receive oil from its biggest supplier, Venezuela.
“(The U.S. blockade) affects public transportation, hospitals, schools, the economy and tourism,” Diaz-Canel said in a wide-ranging, two-hour televised press conference. “How do we till our soil? How do we move around? How do we keep our kids in classes without fuel?”
“We are going to take measures that, while not permanent, will require effort. Some … are restrictive, requiring us to adjust consumption and promote savings. There are things we have to stop, or postpone, in order to continue functioning in essential areas.”
BLACKOUT HITS SEVERAL PROVINCES
A substation failure caused a total blackout on Wednesday night in five provinces in eastern Cuba as the island’s government struggles to keep the lights on with dwindling fuel supplies and failing infrastructure.
Diaz-Canel on Thursday reiterated prior statements from Cuba’s foreign ministry agreeing to talk with the United States, but with conditions.
“Cuba is willing to engage in dialogue, but with the sole demand that the U.S. government not attempt to interfere in Cuba’s internal affairs, nor undermine our sovereignty,” the Cuban president said.
Cuba’s top diplomat to the United States, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, told Reuters this week that Cuba had begun communicating with the U.S. government but had yet to establish a formal bilateral dialogue.
Diaz-Canel did not provide specifics on those talks or the measures to be rolled out next week, but outlined a broader plan to handle U.S. pressure.
He said the island would ramp up solar generation and use renewable resources to ensure electricity for vital 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 support from China over the past two years.
Diaz-Canel said Cuba was working to increase its crude oil extraction and storage capacity to boost self-sufficiency.
But he said Cuba also had the “right” to receive sea-bound deliveries of fuel.
“We will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure that the country can once again receive fuel imports,” he said.
(Reporting by Dave Sherwood and Nelson Acosta, Editing by Franklin Paul, Rod Nickel)
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