US authorities have ruled out that the presence of the nuclear-powered USS Helena submarine at the Guantanamo Bay base in Cuba had anything to do with the presence of a Russian flotilla in Havana.
The US admiral in charge of the Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba has been fired due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command,” US Southern Command said in a statement on Sunday. Rear Admiral John Ring was removed from the post on Saturday, the brief statement said, without giving details about why.
President Barack Obama met his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro on Tuesday at the United Nations and renewed calls for an end to the US trade embargo against Havana.
The White House said it was in the final stage of drafting a plan for closing the Guantánamo prison for foreign terrorism suspects, racing against time to resolve one of President Barack Obama's most intractable problems. Spokesman Josh Earnest said the administration hoped to short circuit opposition from Republicans in Congress who have blocked Obama from closing the prison.
Cuban President Raul Castro demanded on Wednesday that the United States return the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, lift the half-century trade embargo on Cuba and compensate his country for damages before the two nations re-establish normal relations.