US ready to cooperate with Cuba in Ebola fight

Washington, Oct 22 (IANS/EFE) The US is ready to cooperate with Cuba in the international fight against Ebola in West Africa, a spokesperson for the US State Department confirmed to Spanish news agency Efe.

"We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with Cuba to face this Ebola outbreak," said the US official, who stressed the significant contribution made by Cuba in sending hundreds of doctors and health workers to Africa to battle the virus.

Former Cuban president Fidel Castro offered his country's cooperation with Washington in combating the disease.

On Monday, a State Department spokesperson did not rule out the possibility of talks on cooperation between the US and Cuba which have had no diplomatic relations in decades.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has applauded efforts against Ebola by the Cuban authorities.

"No country, or group of individual nations can solve this problem by themselves. This will require collective global response. All hands to work," said Kerry.

"In this spirit, the State Department is in communication with all members of the international community, including Cuba, to participate in this global effort through multilateral channels such as the World Health Organisation and diplomatic meetings," added Kerry.

--IANS/EFE

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