Obama is marking the one-year anniversary of the announcement by the United States and Cuba of plans to restore relations.
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Ramos Gutiérrez, who came to the US during the 1980 Mariel exodus, has visited her mother and brothers on the island 5 times since 1999.
“Today marks one year since the president’s disastrous policy to legitimize the Castro regime at the expense of the Cuban people’s right to be free”, Lopez-Cantera said on Thursday. Major League Baseball stars including Cuban-born defectors Yasiel Puig and Jose Abreu were warmly welcomed by the Cuban government this week on a goodwill trip meant to pave the way for spring training games in Cuba in 2016.
The president said he hopes enough progress can be made in order for a visit to happen, and possibly to “nudge the Cuban government in a new direction”.
Freyre said the last time he was in Havana it caught his eye there were numerous employees being trained at terminal 2, where US flights arrive and depart.
American Airlines praised the decision and expressed interest in adding more flights to Cuba. It will also equip airlines from both sides to collaborate commercially on matters such as renting aircraft out to one another or sharing information regarding flight codes.
“For me it’s a lot of money and there are only a couple of planes that go over there”, he said.
Critics of the president’s policy, however, say it hasn’t delivered. Travelers from Cuba must fearless long, chaotic lines to buy paper tickets. Among the most visible signs of change is travel, and the aviation agreement, reached by negotiators late Wednesday and announced on Thursday, will make trips back and forth easier still.
The Cuban Embassy in Washington said the two countries had reached preliminary agreement on a memorandum of understanding for the establishment of regular flights. JetBlue will offer more nonstop flights to Cuba from New York, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa.
Thousands of Americans are already visiting the island and hotels and hostels are booked for months.
Don’t get too excited about the headlines announcing a resumption of commercial air flights between the United States and Cuba.
“We continue to have differences with the Cuban government, but we raise those issues directly, and we will always stand for human rights and the universal values that we support around the globe”, Obama said in a written statement.
On specific topics, Cuba and US officials have engaged in talks to address environment and marine protection, counternarcotics, direct postal services and travel to the island.
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Even though commercial service will be allowed, Kass said Americans are still barred from traveling to Cuba purely as tourists under USA law.
