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Joe Biden calls Cuba a failed state, looks to force open internet after protests
- US president says prepared to send vaccines to Cuba but not ease policy on remittances
- US examining if it can restore internet access the Cuban government shut off after mass protests
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US President Joe Biden said the United States was considering ways to force open internet access in Cuba, which he called a “failed state” as the communist leadership faces down the biggest protests in memory.
In a reversal from his stance as a candidate, Biden also made clear he was in no rush to let Cuban-Americans send home remittances, which could ease the economic pressure that contributed to the outpouring of anger on the streets Sunday.
Biden, who has made the promotion of democratic values a key priority, said the United States was looking at how to help Cubans circumvent internet restrictions imposed by the government.
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“Cuba is, unfortunately, a failed state and repressing their citizens,” Biden said.
“They’ve cut off access to the internet. We’re considering whether we have the technological ability to reinstate that access,” he told a joint White House news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday.
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