The US Government funded a Twitter-like communications platform in Cuba “to expand the space for Cubans to express themselves'', the US State Department confirmed on Thursday.

The US was responding to a report published by the Associated Press , which suggested the administration of President Barack Obama was seeking to stoke political unrest to destabilise Cuba’s communist Government.

US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said there was “nothing classified or covert about this programme,” which was known as ZunZuneo.

The $1.2 million programme, which ended in 2012, existed to provide Cubans “with platforms for expression” and the US did not generate “political content of any kind on this platform'', Harf said.

“We were letting the Cuban people do that themselves,” Harf said, adding that the programme was facilitated by the US development agency US Agency for International Development.

She said that given the “hostile” environment in Cuba, the programme was handled “discreetly.” White House spokesman Jay Carney also said that “suggestions that this was a covert programme are wrong.” Cubans report that the site functioned like an internet chat.

In January, Cuban President Raul Castro spoke of “attempts” by foreign entities “to provide platforms to subtly import neoliberal ideas” to the island nation. He provided to concrete examples.

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