Posted on 03/07/2009 7:48:46 PM PST by Libloather
Obama will use spring summit to bring Cuba in from the cold
US companies are queuing up as the president moves to ease restrictions on travel and trade, raising hopes of warmer relations and an end to the embargo
Rory Carroll, Latin America correspondent
The Observer, Sunday 8 March 2009
President Barack Obama is poised to offer an olive branch to Cuba in an effort to repair the US's tattered reputation in Latin America.
The White House has moved to ease some travel and trade restrictions as a cautious first step towards better ties with Havana, raising hopes of an eventual lifting of the four-decade-old economic embargo. Several Bush-era controls are expected to be relaxed in the run-up to next month's Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago to gild the president's regional debut and signal a new era of "Yankee" cooperation.
The administration has moved to ease draconian travel controls and lift limits on cash remittances that Cuban-Americans can send to the island, a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of families.
"The effect on ordinary Cubans will be fairly significant. It will improve things and be very welcome," said a western diplomat in Havana. The changes would reverse hardline Bush policies but not fundamentally alter relations between the superpower and the island, he added.
**SNIP**
Cuban exiles in Florida, a crucial voting bloc in a swing state, sustained a hardline US policy towards Havana even as the cold war ended and the US traded with other undemocratic nations with much worse human rights records.
To Washington's chagrin, the economic stranglehold did not topple Fidel Castro. When Soviet Union subsidies evaporated, the "maximum leader" implemented savage austerity, opened the island to tourism and found a new sponsor in Venezuela's petrol-rich president, Hugo Chávez.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
Wait just a rock pickin' minute. Castro restricts his own citizens from travelling outside his little slice of paradise doesn't he?
You could see that on the Cruise I was on everyone said the line was ready to add Cuba to its Caribbean Cruise.
The Obamoron is quickly turning into a foreign policy disaster. He stiffs Gordon Brown, PM of a long trusted ally, Britain, but woos the people who are invested in murdering Americans (Taliban and Muslims), and trashes 50 years of American foreign policy in Cuba.
4 years of the WH Amateur Hour is 3.5 years too long!!
The Obamoron is quickly turning into a foreign policy disaster. He stiffs Gordon Brown, PM of a long trusted ally, Britain, but woos the people who are invested in murdering Americans (Taliban and Muslims), and trashes 50 years of American foreign policy in Cuba.
4 years of the WH Amateur Hour is 3.5 years too long!!
It makes no difference, Teddy and Castro are in a foot race so to speak, are maybe that is to speak with someone with a red fork!!!!!
The President of the USSA is just reaching out to his soulmates.
Can you believe these fool honkies?
Yeah, let’s bring Cuba into the fold. Except Obama’s idea of the fold, is their fold. Stiffs the UK and slobbers over a murderous Cuba. By the way, he stiffed Canada too. Spent 4 hours here and on his way home had the racist gall to invite our black Governor General to Washington, but NOT our Prime Minister. This guy is toxic.
later...
Now that's an interesting tidbit that somehow escaped the MSM's attention. Do you have any links to further information?
This should open up Havana along with Damascus and Tehran as new summer holiday destinaions
no Caracas?
I wonder how all the hispanics who voted for Obama feel now?
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/591020
For the hell of it I did a google search with keywords Obama and snub
and got over a million hits.
Most of the Weather Underground have close ties to Cuba, some of them still reside in Cuba because they can’t be extradited. We need to ask Obama if restoring relations with Cuba would include extradition of Weather Underground members.
That would make a fantastic question for Rush and Hannity to pose on their radio shows!
Lets hope Obama decides to make the announcement in a speech before a gathering in Miami....that should go over real well!!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.