Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Obama must work with Congress to reform Cuba embargo - policy experts

Obama must work with Congress to reform Cuba embargo: policy experts
Mon Jan 19, 2015 10:07am EST

(Reuters) - On the eve of President Barack Obama's State of the Union
address a group of 78 policy experts and former U.S. officials has
written to the White House urging the administration to work with
Congress to update Cuba legislation to reflect "21st century realities."

While stopping short of calling for an end to the five-decades-old U.S.
economic embargo against Cuba, the letter makes it clear that Congress
needs to at the very least reform its Cuba sanctions, which were written
into law in 1996.

The letter includes names from across the political spectrum, including
Ronald Reagan's Secretary of State George Shultz, President Clinton's
National Security Advisor Sandy Berger, as well as three former
assistant secretaries of state for the Western Hemisphere and a group of
prominent Cuban-American leaders.

It follows a similar letter sent in May last year from 46 signers
calling on Obama to open up travel and commerce with Cuba, along the
lines of measures announced in his new Cuba policy last month.

"We write to commend you on the historic actions you are taking to
update America's policy toward Cuba and Cuban citizens," the new letter
says, titled 'Support for a new course on Cuba.'

"Our new posture of engagement will advance our national interests and
our values by empowering the Cuban people's capacity to work toward a
more democratic and prosperous country - conditions that are very much
in the U.S. interests," it adds.

It also calls on Obama "to work with Congress to update the legislative
framework with regard to Cuba so that it, too, reflects 21st century
realities."

The U.S. and Cuba will hold historic "normalization" talks later this
week in Havana designed to restore diplomatic relations and reopen the
U.S. embassy in Havana, as announced n Obama's new Cuba policy on Dec. 17.

U.S. officials announced new regulations on Friday to ease travel and
commerce with Cuba, but the embargo legislation - The Cuban Liberty and
Democratic Solidarity (Libertad) Act, also known as Helms-Burton after
its authors - still makes it illegal for Americans to own property in
Cuba or travel there freely for tourism.

The letter also encourages the Obama administration to "continue to call
on Havana to respect the human rights of the Cuban people," including at
an upcoming Summit of the Americas in April where both Cuba and the U.S.
will attend together for the first time.

(Writing by David Adams; Editing by James Dalgleish and Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: Obama must work with Congress to reform Cuba embargo: policy
experts | Reuters -
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/19/us-cuba-usa-letter-idUSKBN0KS1IU20150119

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