Cuba rejects negotiating president’s term with U.S.

Cuba has rejected suggestions that the future of its political system or President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s term was discussed in talks with the United States, after reports Washington wanted him removed from power.

"I can categorically confirm that ... the political system of Cuba is not up for negotiation, and of course neither the president nor the position of any official in Cuba is subject to negotiation with the United States," Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio told a press conference.

Last week, Cuba announced it had begun talks with the U.S. government amid what it described as an effective oil blockade imposed by President Donald Trump. The move followed Trump’s claim that he could do "anything I want" with Cuba, despite calling it a sovereign neighbour.

Speaking later to a group of foreign activists bringing humanitarian aid to Cuba, Díaz-Canel said Cuba was preparing for a possible U.S. "aggression."

"We're not just crossing our arms. In the first place, we recognise that there could be aggression against Cuba," said Díaz-Canel, who has struck a more defiant tone recently.

He said on social media on Tuesday that "any external aggressor will face an impenetrable resistance."

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The New York Times, citing four people familiar with the talks, later reported that the Trump administration was seeking to push Díaz-Canel from power with two years remaining on his term as president and five years left as leader of the Communist Party.

The report said the U.S. proposal would leave untouched the family of former presidents Fidel and Raul Castro. Fidel Castro died in 2016 but Raul Castro, now 94, remains highly influential eight years after handing the presidency over to Diaz-Canel, 65. 

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