Home Tags Posts tagged with "us embassy havana"

us embassy havana

According to US officials, a suspected acoustic attack on US embassy staff in Cuba was reported as recently as last month.

It was originally thought that the incidents had ended several months ago.

The State Department also said the number of staff who have reported health problems had increased to 19.

It comes as the union representing diplomatic staff says some victims suffered mild brain injuries and permanent hearing loss.

Cuba has denied any involvement in the attacks and says it is investigating the reports.

US embassy staff and at least one Canadian began to notice symptoms late last year.

However, the affair was first reported in August when the US expelled two Cuban diplomats from Washington.

Imae source Wikimedia

US Expels Two Cuban Diplomats after Mystery Incidents in Havana

Cuba Mystery Illness: Canadian Diplomat Treated for Hearing Loss and Headaches

Raul Castro Criticizes Donald Trump’s Rollback on Cuba

US officials said the expulsions were in protest at Cuba’s failure to protect its diplomats.

Sonic devices may have been used to emit inaudible sound waves that can cause deafness.

On September 1, the US government confirmed that an incident took place as recently as August and that the number of staff reporting problems had increased.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said: “We can’t rule out new cases as medical professionals continue to evaluate members of the embassy community.”

In a statement, the American Foreign Service Association, which represents US diplomatic and international aid staff, said it had spoken to 10 people who had received treatment.

“Diagnoses include mild traumatic brain injury and permanent hearing loss, with such additional symptoms as loss of balance, severe headaches, cognitive disruption and brain swelling,” the statement said.

The American Foreign Service Association urged the government to do everything possible to help those affected and to “ensure that these incidents cease and are not repeated”.

The statement is the first time that the hearing loss has been described as permanent. It is understood that “mild traumatic brain injury” could include concussion or headaches.

The State Department is yet to blame anyone for the incidents.

The US mission in Cuba was reopened as a full embassy in 2015 following 50 years of hostilities between the two countries.

0

The US flag has been raised over the reopened embassy in Cuba after more than 54 years since it was closed.

The reopening of the US embassy in Havana is a symbolic step signaling the warming of ties between both countries.

John Kerry, who presided over the ceremony in Havana, is the first US Secretary of State to visit Cuba in 70 years.

The US flag was presented by the same US marines who brought it down in 1961.

Cuba reopened its embassy in Washington in July.

However, issues remain, with former Cuban leader Fidel Castro blasting the US for not lifting its trade embargo.

In an open letter on August 13, Fidel Castro said the US owed Cuba millions of dollars because of its 53-year-long embargo. The letter makes no mention of today’s reopening of the US embassy.

Photo Reuters

Photo Reuters

John Kerry described the hoisting of the flag as a “historic moment” speaking during the ceremony on August 14.

He also warned that the US would not stop pressing for political change in Cuba.

“The people of Cuba would be best served by a genuine democracy, where people are free to choose their leaders,” John Kerry told a crowd of hundreds gathered outside the embassy building.

In the past, John Kerry conceded, US policies have not led to democracy.

“Cuba’s future is for Cubans to shape,” he added.

Three retired marines who lowered the American flag for the last time on January 4, 1961, handed it over to marines to raise it once again in Havana as the American national anthem played.

Cuban leader Raul Castro and President Barack Obama agreed to restore ties in December 2014.

While trade and travel restrictions have been relaxed, the Republican-led US Congress has not lifted the trade embargo the US imposed on the communist-run island in 1960.

Cuba says the embargo – which it calls a blockade – is hugely damaging to its economy.

It says relations will be fully restored only once it is lifted.

Fidel Castro’s open letter was published in state newspaper Granma to mark his 89th birthday.