Foreign affairs

Cuba Calls US Claim of Attacks on Diplomats a Lie

Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said on Thursday that US government claims that its diplomatic personnel in Havana have developed illnesses as a result of sonic attacks are a falsehood intended to hurt ties between the two countries.

“I can confirm categorically that whoever affirms that there have been attacks, deliberate acts or specific incidents as a cause of these health problems, is lying deliberately,” Rodriguez told reporters at the Cuban Embassy in Washington.

“These health effects are being used as a political pretext, with political objectives, to eliminate the progress achieved and damage the bilateral relationship,” Cuba’s chief diplomat said.

The US State Department says that 24 American diplomats have suffered effects from the ostensible sonic attacks, experiencing symptoms that include hearing loss, problems with balance and trouble sleeping.