Marco Rubio Vows to Oppose Ambassador to Cuba, Barring Major Reforms

From his perch as chairman of the U.S. Senate Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights and Global Women’s Issues Subcommittee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., wrote U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, promising to oppose an ambassador to Cuba unless certain conditions are met. 

“Despite more than five months of discussions with the Cuban government, I am very concerned about the lack of political reforms, and progress on human rights; the continued harboring of known terrorists and other fugitives from U.S. justice; the outstanding American property claims and judgments against the Cuban government; and the limitations that continue to be placed on American diplomats working in Havana,” Rubio wrote Kerry on Monday. “By conditioning any normalization of relations with Cuba on these topics and other areas, the U.S. can leverage the prospect of improved bilateral relations to obtain tangible benefits for both the American and Cuban peoples.
 
“It is important for the United States to continue being a beacon of freedom for the Cuban people,” Rubio added. “I intend to work with my colleagues to block the administration’s efforts to pursue diplomatic relations with Cuba and name an ambassador to Havana until substantive progress is made on these important issues.”