[D66] [JD: 152] Mexico readies navy ships to bring food, supplies to Cuba

[R.O.]

reuters.com
<https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexico-preparing-shipment-food-medicine-cuba-mexican-official-2021-07-22/>



  Mexico readies navy ships to bring food, supplies to Cuba

A Cuban flag flies over a street amid concerns about the spread of the
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in downtown Havana, Cuba, July 18, 2021.
Picture taken July 18, 2021. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

Raul Cortes
2-3 minutes
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A Cuban flag flies over a street amid concerns about the spread of the
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in downtown Havana, Cuba, July 18, 2021.
Picture taken July 18, 2021. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

MEXICO CITY, July 22 (Reuters) - Mexico will send two navy ships loaded
with food and medical supplies to Cuba, the foreign ministry said on
Thursday, after President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador blamed the U.S.
embargo for fomenting the biggest unrest in Cuba in decades.

The ships will leave the port of Veracruz in the Gulf of Mexico on
Sunday, taking syringes, oxygen tanks and masks along with powered milk,
cans of tuna, beans, flour, cooking oil and gasoline.

The shipments exemplify Mexico's policy of "international solidarity"
and it will keep offering humanitarian aid to help Latin American and
Caribbean countries tackle the coronavirus pandemic, the foreign
ministry said in a statement.

The loading of the cargo began early on Thursday, said Marisa Lopez, a
spokeswoman for the office of the mayor of Veracruz.

The preparations came on the same day that the U.S. government announced
sanctions against a Cuban security minister and a special forces unit
for their alleged role in the crackdown on the anti-government protests
that began this month. read more
<https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-impose-sanctions-cuban-officials-over-crackdown-protests-source-2021-07-22/>

The Cuban embassy in Mexico City did not immediately respond to a
request for comment.

The Cuban government has blamed the protests mostly on what it calls
U.S.-financed "counter-revolutionaries" exploiting economic hardship
caused by decades-old U.S. embargo.

Latin American governments have split along ideological lines over the
protests in Cuba.

Mexico, run by leftist Lopez Obrador, has sided with Cuba, while Chile
and Peru have urged the Communist government to allow pro-democracy
protests. read more
<https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexico-foreign-minister-says-looking-into-humanitarian-aid-cuba-2021-07-13/>

Editing by Drazen Jorgic; additional reporting by Diego Ore; Editing by
Stephen Coates, Robert Birsel

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