- The Washington Times - Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Reversing more than a half-century of U.S. policy, President Obama announced Wednesday that the U.S. and Cuba have agreed to reopen their embassies this summer and restore full diplomatic ties over vehement objections from lawmakers in both parties of Congress.

“This is a historic step forward in our efforts to normalize relations with the Cuban government and people and begin a new chapter with our neighbors in the Americas,” Mr. Obama said at the White House. “This is what change looks like.”

The president also called on Congress to lift the U.S. embargo against Cuba, a move that many lawmakers in both parties are resisting. He said public opinion in both countries favors such a move.

“Americans and Cubans alike are ready to move forward,” Mr. Obama said. “I believe it’s time for Congress to do the same. I’d ask Congress to listen to the Cuban people. Listen to the American people.”

In Havana, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, the chief of mission at the U.S. Interests Section, delivered a note from Mr. Obama to Cuban President Raul Castro formally restoring diplomatic ties. The brief ceremony at the Cuban Foreign Ministry formally ended 54 years of severed relations that began in the Cold War in the last days of the Eisenhower administration.

Mr. Castro, the 84-year-old younger brother of longtime Cuban strongman Fidel Castro, also sent a letter to Mr. Obama, saying in part, “We want to develop a friendship between our two nations that is based on the equality of rights and the people’s free will.”

Secretary of State John F. Kerry, in Vienna trying to conclude a nuclear deal with Iran, said he will travel to Havana later this summer to raise the U.S. flag over a new embassy. It will be the first visit by a secretary of state since 1945.

Critics said Mr. Obama’s leadership is giving too much legitimacy to Cuba’s repressive communist government.

“A policy of the United States giving and the Castro brothers freely taking is not in our national interest and not a responsible approach when dealing with repressive rulers that deny freedoms to its people,” said Sen. Robert Menendez, New Jersey Democrat, a Cuban-American and a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. “An already one-sided deal that benefits the Cuban regime is becoming all the more lopsided.”

Some Republican lawmakers are threatening to withhold funds for an embassy in Havana.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a Cuban-American who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, reiterated his intention to block Mr. Obama’s eventual nominee for ambassador to Cuba. He said Cuba must first make progress in settling outstanding legal claims to U.S. citizens for properties confiscated by the Cuban regime, agree to allow U.S. diplomats to travel freely throughout Cuba and meet with dissidents and “restore greater political freedoms for the Cuban people.”

“I intend to oppose the confirmation of an ambassador to Cuba until these issues are addressed,” Mr. Rubio said.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, also a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, said Mr. Obama’s move is “further legitimizing the brutal Castro regime.”

“The real test of the Obama administration’s rapprochement with the Castro regime in Cuba is not whether President Obama’s legacy is burnished with dubious diplomatic achievements and photo ops, but whether improved relations between Havana and Washington advance the cause of human rights and freedom for the Cuban people,” Mr. Bush said. “The ongoing detention of dissidents and continued human rights abuses suggest the administration’s policy is failing this test.”

Second-term goal

The actions follow months of negotiations between the Obama administration and the communist regime in Cuba and the administration’s removal of Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. Mr. Castro had insisted on Cuba being taken off the terror list, which curtailed its access to international markets.

Mr. Obama has made the thawing of relations with Cuba a key part of his second-term agenda, saying that more than a half-century of Cold War-era isolation hasn’t compelled Havana to liberalize politically or improve human rights conditions on the island nation.

Mr. Obama criticized opponents in Congress “who want to turn back the clock and double down on a policy of isolation.”

“It’s long past time for us to realize that this approach doesn’t work,” the president said. “It hasn’t worked for 50 years. It shuts America out of Cuba’s future, and it only makes life worse for the Cuban people.”

Supporters of the move said it will help to improve conditions in Cuba.

“This announcement is a positive step for the United States and the hemisphere,” said Geoff Thale, director of programs at the Washington Office on Latin America, a research and advocacy group. “It’s a long overdue policy change and opens up the prospects for practical collaboration while allowing us to discuss our differences in a serious way.”

Mr. Castro and Mr. Obama agreed in December to start formal talks over restoring relations after months of secret talks between both sides that were initiated with the help of Pope Francis. The two presidents held a historic meeting in Panama in April, the first face-to-face discussion between U.S. and Cuban leaders since 1956.

Both countries are currently represented by “interest sections,” and U.S. and Cuban diplomats are not allowed to go out of Havana and Washington without approval from the host countries.

The Cuban Foreign Ministry said the U.S. embargo still is creating hurdles to normalizing relations.

“There could be no normal relations between Cuba and the United States as long as the economic, commercial and financial blockade continues to be fully implemented, causing damage and scarcities to the Cuban people,” the ministry said in a statement. “The blockade is the main obstacle to the development of our economy; it is a violation of international law and affects the interests of all countries, including those of the United States.”

Mr. Obama has eased some prohibitions on trade and travel, but other restrictions can be removed only by legislation. Even before today’s action, both countries had been moving toward increased cooperation on travel and tourism.
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington announced Wednesday that it will hold a series of nine performances in Cuba from July 11 to 19.

“We are honored to have the opportunity to perform at nine different locations in and around Havana during our tour of Cuba, and we look forward to meeting with and learning from Cubans of all walks of life in settings as diverse as a block party and one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the country,” said GMCW Executive Director Chase Maggiano.

• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.

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