as seen by Elliot Abrams
By Vicente Morin Aguado
HAVANA TIMES – Elliot Abrams recently granted a historically significant interview to Cuban journalist Juan Manuel Cao (In Depth, America TV, April 4). He maintains that “Cuba is not a danger to the United States, it is a problem.”
Considered a Hawk by the global left, involved at the highest level in US politics from Carter to the present, much more committed to Republicans, especially Reagan and Bush Jr., a fragment of the opinions of Abrams, affiliated with the CFR (Council on Foreign Relations), is reproduced below:
Juan Manuel Cao: Cuba, for example, may not be important, it is not big, but it serves the big enemies [of the US], Russia, China, North Korea, it is a danger 90 miles away, it is serious.
Elliot Abrams: “It changed during the October crisis (1962), then for a while with Reagan, Central America, but then, as always, Latin America receives much less attention than Europe or Asia. It changes for a year, two, three years. Yes, it’s a mistake, but well, the danger comes from Russia, China, Iran, not from Brazil, Argentina, or Cuba, not really from Cuba today. It has a very good intelligence service, but it’s not a danger to the United States, the Russians are not very interested in Cuba or Venezuela today.
Juan Manuel Cao: That was Ana Belén Montes’ mission, to say that Cuba was not a danger. Cuba was interested in not being seen as a danger, but right now, sorry to contradict you despite your experience, Cuba is sending mercenaries to Russia, Cuba serves as a repeater antenna for all Russian propaganda towards Latin America, plus there is the danger of the Havana Syndrome, “Sixty Minutes” -CBS News- just did a report that has had an impact…
Elliot Abrams: I would use the word problem and not danger, because during the crisis with Kennedy we agreed with Russia that they would never put dangerous weapons in Cuba, nuclear ones for example, missiles against the United States.
Juan Manuel Cao: In exchange, sorry, for not trying to produce a system change…
Elliot Abrams: Yes, Yes…
Juan Manuel Cao: Cubans lost out in that story.
Elliot Abrams: Yes, of course, that problem always, it’s an agreement WITH THE REGIME, against the people, it’s always like that. In the case of Venezuela, I was going to tell you that we have received information that missiles were going to arrive from Iran that could reach the US, dangerous weapons, and in 2020 we told Iran and the Iranians that that is not acceptable, and if you put missiles in Venezuela that could reach the United States we are going to destroy those missiles, AND THEY HAVEN’T DONE IT.
Juan Manuel Cao: Wha