On Wednesday, President Barack Obama announced the United States will, for the first time since the Eisenhower administration, resume full diplomatic relations with Cuba. Wednesday also saw the exchange of aid worker Alan Gross -- who has been accused by the Castro regime of being a spy and imprisoned for five years -- for three Cuban spies.
National media reports on Wednesday noted Obama and Cuban regime leader Ra Castro had been negotiating for 18 months in secret talks with the aid of Canada and the Vatican. Obama and Castro spoke earlier this week via telephone as they reached a final agreement.
Today, the United States of America is changing its relationship with the people of Cuba, Obama said in a White House address on Wednesday. In the most significant changes in our policy in more than 50 years, we will end an outdated approach that, for decades, has failed to advance our interests, and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries. Through these changes, we intend to create more opportunities for the American and Cuban people, and begin a new chapter among the nations of the Americas.
Theres a complicated history between the United States and Cuba, Obama continued. I was born in 1961 -- just over two years after Fidel Castro took power in Cuba, and just a few months after the Bay of Pigs invasion, which tried to overthrow his regime. Over the next several decades, the relationship between our countries played out against the backdrop of the Cold War, and Americas steadfast opposition to communism. We are separated by just over 90 miles. But year after year, an ideological and economic barrier hardened between our two countries.
Obama praised Cuban exiles for making enormous contributions to our country -- in politics and business, culture and sports, but insisted attempts to isolate the Castro regime had little effect beyond providing the Cuban government with a rationale for restrictions on its people.
Pointing to better relations with communist nations including China and Vietnam, Obama said it was time to change relations with Cuba
Ive instructed Secretary Kerry to immediately begin discussions with Cuba to re-establish diplomatic relations that have been severed since January of 1961, Obama said. Going forward, the United States will re-establish an embassy in Havana, and high-ranking officials will visit Cuba. Where we can advance shared interests, we will -- on issues like health, migration, counterterrorism, drug trafficking and disaster response.
Obama insisted his administration will continue to raise concerns with the Castro regime on issues related to democracy and human rights in Cuba but that the State Department would review Cubas designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.
This review will be guided by the facts and the law, Obama said. Terrorism has changed in the last several decades. At a time when we are focused on threats from al-Qaida to ISIL, a nation that meets our conditions and renounces the use of terrorism should not face this sanction.
Obama also called for taking steps to increase travel, commerce, and the flow of information to and from Cuba which he said was fundamentally about freedom and openness, and also expresses my belief in the power of people-to-people engagement. Obama added that 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. The new policies will include more money transfers to the island and more access for American businesses, including more telecommunication links.
I believe that American businesses should not be put at a disadvantage, and that increased commerce is good for Americans and for Cubans, Obama said. So we will facilitate authorized transactions between the United States and Cuba. U.S. financial institutions will be allowed to open accounts at Cuban financial institutions. And it will be easier for U.S. exporters to sell goods in Cuba.
Obama insisted that he was aware of continued barriers to freedom that remain for ordinary Cubans and expected continued differences with American policy.
I do not expect the changes I am announcing today to bring about a transformation of Cuban society overnight, Obama said. But I am convinced that through a policy of engagement, we can more effectively stand up for our values and help the Cuban people help themselves as they move into the 21st century.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., expressed cautious optimism after Obamas announcement of some normalization of American relations with Cuba.
The success of this monumental development depends on Castros willingness to grant basic democratic freedoms for the Cuban people, Nelson said on Wednesday.
Nelson said the embargo on Cuba should remain in place until the Castro regime takes steps toward granting freedom for the Cuban people.
Let's see if Castro changes the behavior of a brutal police state and provides freedoms for the Cuban people, Nelson said.
But Nelsons colleague U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., whose parents came from Cuba, sounded the alarm, pushing back hard against Obama on Wednesday.
Rubio, who will chair the Senate Western Hemisphere subcommittee when the GOP takes over in January, appeared on CNBC and ripped into Obamas Cuban policy as absurd on Wednesday. The Florida Republican also insisted that there are not enough votes in Congress to end the embargo on Cuba, adding that he would do all he could to keep the embargo in place.
This president has to be the worst negotiator we've ever had in the White House," Rubio said. "In exchange for all that, Cubans are going to agree to release 53 political prisoners who would be right back in jail if they take up the cause of freedom again ... this is absurd."
Rubio also appeared on Fox News on Wednesday, insisting Obama was coddling dictators and tyrants.
Obamas announcement on Cuba drew fire from Republicans in the Florida delegation.
Although the freedom of Alan Gross is welcome news, its important to remember that Mr. Gross should have never been imprisoned in Cuba by the Castro regime in the first place, said U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., whose family fled the communist regime when she was a child. The manner in which the White House has negotiated this prisoner swap is a slap in the face to the families of the Brothers to the Rescue and poses a threat to our national security. President Obama has unilaterally released three convicted Cuban spies who were responsible for the deaths of three American citizens and one U.S. resident: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre, Mario de la Pe, and Pablo Morales, whose planes were unjustly shot down over international waters on direct orders of the Castro brothers.
This agreement between Obama and Castro leaves out one important aspect: the Cuban people, Ros-Lehtinen added.The reality is that since the Obama administration first eased restrictions, the situation on the island has gotten worse with an increased level of arbitrary detainments. The Castro dictatorship should be answering to its own people to whom it has denied basic rights for over five decades. The liberalization policies aimed at easing trade and remittances to Cuba is another propaganda coup for the Castro brothers, who will now fill their coffers with more money at the expense of the Cuban people. It is quite possible that this unilateral action by the president without congressional consultation is in violation of the following U.S. laws: Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996, Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, and the Trading with the Enemy Act. The White House attempts to normalize relationships with Cuba without the approval of Congress may be in direct violation of Helms-Burton that specifically states that all political prisoners must be released and free and fair elections must be held before establishing a diplomatic relationship. This misguided action by President Obama will embolden the Castro regime to continue its illicit activities, trample on fundamental freedoms, and disregard democratic principles.
But U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., praised Obamas actions, calling it a historic day.
For years, I have advocated engaging, modernizing diplomatic relations and promoting economic reforms in Cuba, especially after traveling there on a fact-finding mission in 2013, Castor said on Wednesday. President Obama has again answered the calls for change from this community. Thanks to the president, the state of Florida and the Tampa Bay area can seize the opportunity to lead on engagement and encourage human rights and economic reforms in Cuba.
As Americans, we fought two wars with Germany, experienced a terrible conflict with Vietnam and have been able to move forward each time based on concerns for the people of those countries, Castor added. It is long past time that we do the same for the people of Cuba.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
