U.S. President Barack Obama turns from sightseeing to state business on his historic Cuba trip on Monday, pressing President Raul Castro for economic and democratic reforms while hearing complaints about continued U.S. economic sanctions.
Advertisement
The Cuban opposition reported Monday on the arrest of 180 activists in recent days related to the visit to the island by US President Barack Obama.
Obama’s first stop was a Havana hotel, where he greeted U.S. Embassy staff and their families and noted the momentous nature of his visit – the first by a sitting U.S. president since 1928, when Calvin Coolidge arrived in a battleship.
“I will raise these issues directly with President Castro”, he told the Cuban dissident group the Ladies in White in a March 10 letter.
“We felt that coming now would maximize our ability to prompt more change, particularly because this has been welcomed by the Cuban people with enormous popularity”, Obama said.
“It is so sad, and so injurious to our future as well as Cuba’s, that Obama has chosen to legitimize the corrupt and oppressive Castro regime with his presence on the island”, Cruz wrote.
Earlier Monday, Mr. Obama participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Jose Marti memorial, a tribute to the Cuban national hero who fought for independence from Spain in the 19th century.
Washington cut diplomatic ties with Cuba after Raul’s brother Fidel Castro led an armed insurgency against the US-backed government of Fulgencio Batista, ousting him in 1959.
“This is a historic visit, and it’s an historic opportunity to engage with the Cuban people”, said Obama, joined by first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha. Not only are hundreds of thousands of Cubans now able to pursue free enterprise, but restrictions on cellphones and Internet have been eased and citizens feel more comfortable discussing Cuba’s problems.
Locals watched the presidential motorcade from balconies and backyards as Obama was driven downtown, where a small crowd of Cubans braved a tropical downpour and tight security.
None of that has dissuaded Obama, who insists that any intransigence by Cuba’s government only proves why Cubans will be better off when they’re intimately exposed to American values. The White House’s attempts to get Castro to agree to a joint news conference appeared unsuccessful, and it was unclear whether they’d answer questions.
After their bilateral meeting, Obama and Castro will read statements to the media at 1:50 p.m. ET.
The president will cap his day with a state dinner at the presidential palace.
In his first few hours on the island, Obama created indelible images of a new U.S-Cuba relationship as he walked the rain-soaked streets of Havana and dined at a privately-owned restaurant in a bustling, working-class neighborhood.
Advertisement
On Tuesday, Obama will deliver a speech on live Cuban television and attend an exhibition game between Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays and Cuba’s national team.
