“But he’s giving Cubans, the ones who should be in charge of the shift, the possibility to have ways, means, ideas and contact so that we actually make those changes”.
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Obama will meet dissidents at the United States embassy. He’ll deliver a televised address to the Cuban people.
US officials have said in recent days that direct mail ended shortly after the Cuban revolution.
Cuba also said Thursday that it would air Obama’s speech in Cuba live on national television. The Obama administration has started giving approval to US cruise lines to operate there, though they need corresponding approval from the USA government. “If you want to empower the Cuban people, lift the blockade”, Rodriguez said.
In the US, some Republicans-notably Sen. In the 15 months since Obama and Raul Castro declared the end of the cold war in the Caribbean on December 17, 2014, there has been just enough progress to justify the historic presidential visit.
“Here’s a good deal: Cuba has free elections”.
The U.S. and Cuba recently ended decades of mutual hostilities and have taken steps to re-establish diplomatic relations.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.) said no one who supports the thaw expects fundamental change on human rights soon.
And before departing on Tuesday, Obama will share in one of the closest cultural ties between Cubans and Americans – a baseball game.
At the daily press briefing, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the schedule includes meetings with Cuban government officials as well as Cuban dissidents and human rights activists. There is also the question of who will become the next President of the U.S. in January next year and the Cuba policy may vary accordingly, although Obama has expressed the hope that the next president will remove all sanctions.
Leiva, a co-founder of Ladies in White, an opposition group, may get her chance to meet with Obama.
It will be “an opportunity for him to describe the course we are on, to review the complicated history between our countries”.
The 44th president will hold talks with the communist government, but the White House has made it clear the emphasis will be on reaching the Cuban people directly.
Some critics argue Obama should have waited to visit Cuba until the country moves further down the path of reform.
Last Sunday at Mahatma Gandhi Park, Ms. Soler fielded calls from relatives of at least 20 women she said were detained on their way to the demonstration.
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Indeed, Cuba is seeking foreign investment in most every sector – from transportation and hospitality to healthcare and housing – to the tune of about two billion dollars annually.
