United States to Normalize Diplomatic Relations With Cuba
President Obama today announced a nw relationship between thr United States and Cuba, which have not had diplomatic relations in more than 50 years. The announcement has brought very different reactions in Havana and Miami.
The White House Blog lists “five takeaways from today’s announcement:
1. The U.S. will re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba that have been severed since January of 1961. Going forward, the U.S. will re-establish an Embassy in Havana, and high-ranking officials will visit Cuba. We will work together to advance our interests on issues including health, migration, counter-terrorism, drug trafficking, and disaster response.
2. The U.S. will review Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. This review, conducted by the State Department, will be guided by the facts and the law. At a time when we are focused on threats from al Qaeda to ISIL, a nation that meets our conditions and renounces the use of terrorism should not face this sanction.
3. The U.S. will take steps to increase travel, commerce, and the flow of information to and from Cuba. This is fundamentally about freedom and openness, and also expresses my belief in the power of people-to-people engagement. With the changes I’m announcing today, it will be easier for Americans to travel to Cuba, and Americans will be able to use American credit and debit cards on the island. Nobody represents America’s values better than the American people, and I believe this contact will ultimately do more to empower the Cuban people.
4. The return of Alan Gross and other Americans detained in Cuba cleared the way for this progress in relations. While the President has been prepared to take additional steps for some time, a major obstacle stood in the way: the wrongful imprisonment, in Cuba, of U.S. citizen and USAID sub-contractor Alan Gross for five years. Over many months, the Administration has held discussions with the Cuban government about Alan’s case, and other aspects of our relationship. Today, Alan returned home and was reunited with his family at long last. President Obama also secured the release of one of the most important intelligence agents that the U.S. has ever had in Cuba. Imprisoned for nearly two decades, he is now home on U.S. soil. Cuba also released a substantial number of prisoners whose cases were directly raised with the Cuban government by the President’s team.
5. Pope Francis helped facilitate the release of Alan Gross and thawing of relations between the U.S. and Cuba.
KJ