US denies instigating July 4 protests in Cuba

A spokesman for the U.S. mission here on Thursday denied Cuba's charge that American diplomats were instigating opposition protests linked to American independence day.

"If they are planning something, I don't have any advance knowledge," said Greg Adams, public affairs officer for the U.S. Interests Section, referring to Cuba's opposition.

"The government of Cuba is a dictatorship that oppresses its people," Adams told reporters. "The Cuban people do not need outside influence to seek relief from this oppression."

Cuba's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday accused the mission of "instigating the mercenaries in Cuba to realize provocative public actions around July 4, U.S. Independence Day." It did not describe what sort of demonstrations might be planned.

The accusation follows a series of official complaints and reports in the government press alleging that U.S. diplomats have been trying to undermine the communist government by carrying in aid to dissidents.

Terra/AP