MIAMI.- The former ambassador of USAManuel Rocha, confirmed that he will plead guilty to accusations of being an agent of Cuba for decades, bringing an unexpectedly quick end to a case that prosecutors say was one of the most daring betrayals in the history of the American diplomatic service.
Rocha, 73, told a juez that he will admit to federal charges of conspiring to be an agent of a foreign government, accusations that could put him behind bars for years. His attorney indicated that prosecutors have agreed to a sentence, but it was not disclosed in court Thursday.
The administration of Joe Biden extended for one more year national state of emergency with respect to Cuba, thus maintaining the prohibition of access to Cuban ports for ships under the flag of USA. This measure, which has been extended by each administration since 1996, originated in response to the downing by the Cuban regime of two Hermanos al Rescate planes.
The decision, according to review Cuban Diaryannounced through a statement signed by Biden and published in the Federal Register for communication to the United States Congress, maintains the continuity of the state of national emergency established on March 1, 1996 through Proclamation 6867.
This state of emergency was established “to address the disruption or threatened disruption of international relations caused by the destruction by the Cuban Government on February 24, 1996 of two unarmed civilian aircraft registered to the United States in the airspace north of Cuba”.
Furthermore, in 2004, this regulation was expanded with Proclamation 7757, which announced the denial of any monetary and material support to the Cuban regime.
Source: With information from AP/Diario de Cuba
