(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) WASHINGTON, Oct 3 (KUNA) -- The US ordered Tuesday the departure of 15 Cuba officials from its embassy in the nation's capital due to Cuba's failure to take steps to protect American diplomats in that country.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement that the Department "informed the Government of Cuba that it was ordering the departure of 15 of its officials from its embassy in Washington, DC." He stressed that "the decision was made due to Cuba's failure to take appropriate steps to protect our diplomats in accordance with its obligations under the Vienna Convention." "This order will ensure equity in our respective diplomatic operations," he added.
The US Department of State ordered last week the departure of non-emergency personnel assigned to the US Embassy in Havana, as well as all family members.
Over the past several months, 21 US Embassy employees have suffered a variety of injuries from attacks of an unknown nature, where they have exhibited a range of physical symptoms, including ear complaints, hearing loss, dizziness, headache, fatigue, cognitive issues, and difficulty sleeping.
Tillerson said in this regard that "until the Government of Cuba can ensure the safety of our diplomats in Cuba, our embassy will be reduced to emergency personnel to minimize the number of diplomats at risk of exposure to harm." The US top diplomat affirmed "we continue to maintain diplomatic relations with Cuba, and will continue to cooperate with Cuba as we pursue the investigation into these attacks." (end) si
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