Fidel Castro Says Obama's New Steps Positive But Minimum

Fidel Castro: Obama's new steps "positive" but "minimum"

2009-04-15 10:59:10

HAVANA, April 14 (Xinhua) --

Cuban former Leader Fidel Castro said on Tuesday that the U.S. "measure to lighten the restriction of trips by Cuban-Americans to Cuba is positive, however it is minimum."

Castro said in his column "Reflections" published on Tuesday by Cuba Debate website that still "many other measures are missing, including the elimination of the killer Law of Cuban Adjustment."

The 1966 law, which the U.S. exclusively applies to Cuba, grants Cubans who reach US soil automatic residency.

In his article entitled "Days that can not be forgotten," Castro mentioned the attack against Cuba on April 1961 made by anti-Cuba forces supported by Washington.

He urged the U.S. to make self-criticism and guarantee that what happened in 1961 would never repeat.

Castro said, "the great power" could do the same to any Latin American country, and this already has happened, for example in Dominican Republic, Panama, Guatemala, Chile, Argentina and Venezuela, either by directly sending troops or by supporting their domestic opposition.

The U.S. president Barack Obama lifted restrictions on travel and money transfer to Cuba, opening a crack in a 47-year-old embargo against Havana.

In his article, Castro also recognized Obama's disposition to cooperate on issues like climate change.

Obama lifts restrictions on travel, money transfers to Cuba

2009-04-14 05:14:35

WASHINGTON, April 13 (Xinhua) --

U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday lifted restrictions on travel and money transfers by Cuban-Americans to Cuba, said the White House in a statement.

"Supporting the Cuban people's desire to freely determine their future and that of their country is in the national interest of the United States," said the statement.

"The Obama administration is taking steps to promote greater contact between separated family members in the United States and Cuba and increase the flow of remittances and information to the Cuban people," said the statement.

According to the statement, President Obama has directed the Secretaries of State, Treasury, and Commerce to take the needed steps to lift all restrictions on transactions related to the travel of family members to Cuba and to remove restrictions on remittances to family members in Cuba.

The administration has been asked to authorize U.S. telecommunications network providers to enter into agreements to establish fiber-optic cable and satellite telecommunications facilities linking the United States and Cuba.

The administration has also been asked to license U.S. telecommunications service providers to enter into roaming service agreements with Cuba's telecommunications service providers, and to license U.S. satellite radio and satellite television service providers to engage in transactions necessary to provide services to customers in the country.

Although the easing of restriction, which would affect some 1.5million Americans with family members in Cuba, has not eliminated U.S. trade embargo against Cuba imposed 47 years ago, it has been seen as a major policy shift from the Bush administration's hawkish approach.

Since the 1959 Cuban Revolution, the U.S.-Cuba relations have deteriorated with sustaining tension and confrontation. The previous U.S. administration under President George W. Bush imposed restrictions on travel and money transfers to Cuba for Cuban-Americans.

In his campaign speech last May, Obama said he wanted to remove the restrictions so that Americans could visit relatives and transfer money to their families in Cuba, and that he would be willing to speak with Cuban leaders "without preconditions."

On Friday, Obama will participate in the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago and discuss topics ranging from the global economic crisis to regional security with other 33 national leaders in the hemisphere.

The issue of Cuba will likely become a topic of discussion.

U.S., Cuba set to improve ties, seek dialogue

2009-04-10 10:51:29

by Rogelio del Rio

HAVANA, April 9 (Xinhua) --

After half a century of ever-widening political differences, Cuba and the United States appear to have reached an opportune moment for rapprochement based on respect and mutual benefit.

The visit by seven Democratic lawmakers from the U.S. Congress earlier this week indicated that it is possible to bring an end to the split that began when Cuba's revolution triumphed in 1959.

Barbara Lee, who came to Havana as head of the group from the Black Caucus (an African-American organization founded in the U.S. Congress in 1969), said, "it is time to seek a new path ... to seek dialogue with Cuba."

"Cubans want a dialogue. They want to speak and they want a normal relationship with the United States," she told reporters in Washington, after her return from Cuba on Tuesday. "I believe that is the best thing for the United States as well."

During her stay on the Caribbean's largest island, the U.S. lawmakers had a four and a half hour meeting with leader Raul Castro, 77, who repeated his willingness to speak to the government of U.S. President Barack Obama and seek a normalization of the bilateral relationship.

It was Castro's first meeting with U.S. legislators since taking power in Cuba in February last year.

A day later, Lee and her two colleagues, Laura Richardson and Bobby Rush, had a two hour meeting with Fidel Castro, 82, who stepped down as the nation's leader last year. Fidel later described this meeting as "magnificent."

On Monday, in another of his series of articles titled "Reflections of the Commander in Chief", Fidel said that Cuba has no fears about dialogue with the United States, and applauded a suggestion by Richard Lugar, a senator from the opposition Republican Party, that Obama change U.S. policy towards the island and name a special envoy for such talks.

Obama, who took office in January, has pledged to ease the 47-year U.S. trade embargo against Cuba and seek a dialogue with its leaders.

In March, Obama signed a measure into law that temporarily relaxed rules on Cuban-Americans traveling to the island as well as sending medicine and food there.

During his campaign for presidency, Obama had already said he sought a "new strategy" towards the island. Last week, the U.S. Senate presented a bill to end travel restrictions on Cuba, which currently apply to all U.S. citizens.

Some analysts believe that Obama might announce a permanent lifting of restrictions on Cuban-Americans as soon as next week, ahead of his participation in the upcoming Americas Summit, which runs from April 17 to April 19 in Trinidad and Tobago.

Even though some U.S. politicians consider part of the restrictions should be maintained to "keep up pressure" on reforms in Cuba, many believe the current momentum to improve U.S.-Cuban ties is unstoppable.

Major U.S. newspapers including The Washington Post, The New York Times and La Opinion have all said in editorials that the blockade has failed to produce desired results and was a relic of the Cold War that should be eliminated.

It is widely believed now that U.S. citizens should have the right to travel to Cuba and do business there. Trade, anti-drug operations and illegal migration control represent some possible areas of common benefit.

However, obstacles remain. Even though Barbara Lee said "the time has come to talk with Cuba and that time is now," she also admitted that after 50 years of confrontation, normalization would be slow and painful.

Editor: Bi Mingxin

Fidel Castro: Cuba is not afraid to talk with U.S.

2009-04-07 09:57:16

HAVANA, April 6 (Xinhua) -

Cuban former Leader Fidel Castro said that Havana is not afraid to talk with Washington and he hailed U.S. Senator Richard Lugar's proposal to reshape U.S.- Cuba relations, local press said on Monday.

"There is no need to emphasize what Cuba has always said: We do not fear dialogue with the United States, nor do we need confrontation to exist, as some foolish people think," Castro said in his weekly column "Reflections" published Monday by local press.

Direct negotiation "is the only way to secure friendship and peace among peoples," Castro said.

Castro said Lugar "is walking on solid ground" and he is not afraid of being "soft or pro-socialist."

"The measures of the United States (take) against Cuba, over almost half a century, are a total failure." Castro was quoted as saying by local media.

Castro published this article as a seven-member U.S. delegation visited Cuba this week in an attempt to improve relations of the two countries.

Lugar, top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged U.S. President Barack Obama to appoint a special envoy to began direct conversations with Cuba on issues of common interest last week.

Fair Use Notice

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.