US expels 15 Cuban diplomats--They have seven days to leave
by Joseph
Earnest October 3, 2017
Newscast Media WASHINGTON—The US
State Department said on Tuesday that it has decided to send home fifteen Cuban
diplomats, noting that the diplomats have been given seven days to leave the
United States.
"This morning the Department of State informed
the government of Cuba it was ordering the departure of 15 officials from its
embassy in Washington, DC, who are not being declared persona non grata," the
official said on Tuesday.
This
decision does not reflect a policy change, due to established diplomatic ties
with Havana, a senior State Department official told reporters on Tuesday.
All US nonessential diplomats in Cuba are likely to leave Havana by the end
of the week following a string of sonic attacks, a senior State Department
official told reporters on Tuesday. Additionally, US diplomatic personnel will
not be sent to Havana until the Cuban government provides guarantees for their
safety and security, a State Department official told reporters on Tuesday.
On
September 14, US senators sent a letter to State Secretary Rex Tillerson, urging
the State Department to close the embassy in Havana and expel all
Cuban diplomats from the United States, since Cuban authorities failed
to ensure the security of US diplomats. Meanwhile, last week, Tillerson told CBS
that the US government was considering closing its embassy in Cuba.
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