By Simon Lewis and Dave Sherwood
WASHINGTON/HAVANA, Jan 15 - The U.S. State Department’s top aid official warned Cuba’s authorities on Thursday not to interfere with a humanitarian aid shipment and suggested President Donald Trump could take action if Cuba fails to comply.
The warning from Jeremy Lewin, a senior State Department official, comes as the U.S. prepares to deliver $3 million in aid pledged to the Cuban people following Hurricane Melissa in October.
KEY QUOTE
* “This is our hemisphere, and as the president said afterthe operation to capture Maduro, you know, American dominance inour hemisphere will not be questioned ever again,” Lewin said.KEY CONTEXT
* The aid will be channeled through Cuba’s Catholic Churchand closely monitored by the State Department. * Cuba’s foreign ministry called the aid shipment”opportunistic” and “political manipulation” but said it wouldaccept the donation without conditions and assure itsappropriate use. * Trump has vowed to stop oil and money from Venezuela fromreaching Cuba after the January 3 operation that capturedVenezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.(Reporting by Simon Lewis in Washington and Dave Sherwood in Havana; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
