BASSETERRE, St. Kitts and Nevis (AP) 鈥� U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday defended the Trump administration鈥檚 military operation to , telling Caribbean leaders, many of whom objected to that move, that the country and the region were better off as a result.
Speaking to leaders from the 15-member Caribbean Community bloc at a summit in the country of St. Kitts and Nevis, Rubio brushed aside concerns about last month that have been raised among Venezuela鈥檚 island-state neighbors and others.
鈥淚rrespective of how some of you may have individually felt about our operations and our policy toward Venezuela, I will tell you this, and I will tell you this without any apology or without any apprehension: Venezuela is better off today than it was eight weeks ago,鈥� Rubio told the leaders in a closed-door meeting, according to a transcript of his remarks later distributed by the U.S. State Department.
Rubio said that since Maduro鈥檚 ouster and the by the United States, the interim authorities in the South American country have made 鈥渟ubstantial鈥� progress in improving conditions by doing 鈥渢hings that eight or nine weeks ago would have been unimaginable.鈥�
The Caribbean leaders have gathered to debate pressing issues in a region that President Donald Trump has targeted for a meant to ensure Washington鈥檚 . The Republican administration has declared a focus closer to home even as Washington increasingly has been preoccupied by .
His trip to the region came as Cuba鈥檚 government announced that aboard a speedboat registered in Florida whose occupants it said opened fire on officers in Cuban waters.
鈥淪uffice it to say, it is highly unusual to see shootouts in open sea like that. It鈥檚 not something that happens every day. It鈥檚 something, frankly, that hasn鈥檛 happened with Cuba in a very long time,鈥� Rubio told reporters. He said that the U.S. is gathering its own information and that “we鈥檒l be prepared to respond accordingly.鈥�
Rubio downplays antagonism in US regional push
In his remarks to the group, America’s top diplomat tried to play down any antagonistic intent in what Trump has referred to as the 鈥淒onroe Doctrine.鈥� Rubio said the administration wants to strengthen ties with the region following and ensure that issues such as crime and economic opportunities are jointly addressed.
鈥淚 am very happy to be in an administration that鈥檚 giving priority to the Western Hemisphere after largely being ignored for a very long time,鈥� Rubio said. 鈥淲e share common opportunities, and we share some common challenges. And that鈥檚 what we hope to confront.鈥�
He said transnational criminal organizations pose the biggest threat to the Caribbean while recognizing that many are buying weapons from the United States, a problem he said authorities are tackling.
Rubio also said the U.S. and the Caribbean can work together on economic advancement and energy issues, especially because many leaders have energy resources they seek to explore. 鈥淲e want to be your partner in that regard,鈥� he said.
Rubio said the U.S. recognizes the need for fair, democratic elections in Venezuela, which lies just miles away from Trinidad and Tobago at the closest point.
鈥淲e do believe that a prosperous, free Venezuela who鈥檚 governed by a legitimate government who has the interests of their people in mind could also be an extraordinary partner and asset to many of the countries represented here today,鈥� he said.
Trump plays up Maduro’s ouster
Trump, in his Tuesday night, called the operation that spirited Maduro out of Venezuela to in New York 鈥渁n absolutely colossal victory for the security of the United States.鈥�
The U.S. had built up the largest military presence in the Caribbean Sea in generations before the Jan. 3 raid. That has now been exceeded by the surge of to the Middle East as the administration pressures Iran to make a deal over its nuclear program.
In the Caribbean, Trump has stepped up aggressive tactics to with a series of strikes on boats that have killed over 150 people and he has tightened . Regional leaders have complained about administration demands for nations to accept third-country deportees and to chill relations with China.
One regional leader who has backed the U.S. escalation is Trinidad and Tobago Prime Min颅is颅ter Kam颅la Persad-Bisses颅sar, whom Rubio thanked for her public support, the State Department said.
Persad-Bissessar told reporters that her conversation with Rubio focused on 鈥淗aiti; we talked about Cuba, of course; we talked about engagements with Venezuela and the way forward.鈥�
She was asked if she considered the latest U.S. military strikes in Caribbean waters as extrajudicial killings: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think they are, and if they are, we will find out, but our legal advice is they are not.鈥�
Rubio had other one-on-one meetings with heads of government, including those from St. Kitts and Nevis, Haiti, Jamaica and Guyana.
Caribbean leaders point to shifting global order
Terrance Drew, prime minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and chair of the Caribbean Community bloc, said the region 鈥渟tands at a decisive hour鈥� and that 鈥渢he global order is shifting.鈥�
Drew and other leaders said Cuba’s humanitarian situation must be addressed.
鈥淚t must be clear that a prolonged crisis in Cuba will not remain confined to Cuba,鈥� Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness warned. 鈥淚t will affect migration, security and economic stability across the Caribbean basin.鈥�
Rubio told reporters that he talked to Caribbean leaders about how the 鈥淐uba status quo is unacceptable. Cuba needs to change.鈥�
鈥淲hat the Cuban people should know is this, that if they are hungry and they are suffering, it鈥檚 not because we鈥檙e not prepared to help them. We are. It鈥檚 that the people standing in the way of us helping them is the regime. It鈥檚 their communist party,鈥� he said.
The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday slightly eased restrictions on the sale of Venezuelan oil to Cuba, which instituted austere fuel-saving measures in the weeks after the U.S. raid in Venezuela.
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Coto reported from San Jos茅, Costa Rica. Associated Press reporter Anselm Gibbs in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, contributed to this report.
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