Pelosi heads congressional democratic delegation in Cuba

Pelosi heads congressional democratic delegation in Cuba
BY NORA GAMEZ TORRES NGAMEZTORRES@ELNUEVOHERALD.COM
02/17/2015 8:19 PM 02/17/2015 8:19 PM

U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi landed Tuesday in Cuba as head
of a congressional delegation.

The delegation will meet with Cuban government officials, Cardenal Jaime
Ortega and Alamino, as well as local community leaders and US officials,
who operate within the United States Interests Section, according to a
statement.

"This delegation will work to advance relations between the United
States and Cuba and will be based on the work carried out by many in
Congress during the past few years, especially in regards to agriculture
and commerce," Pelosi said.

The Democratic representative for California highlighted that the
delegation traveled "in high spirits and friendly good will."

In early February, U.S. government officials told the AP that their
Cuban counterparts had informed them that visits from legislators
wouldn't be allowed until April 15.

This is the first official visit made by a House of Representatives
delegation since the historic Dec. 17 announcement about renewing
diplomatic relations, allthough somoe in Congress have traveled to Cuba
since that date.

Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Mark Warner of Virginia and
Claire McCaskill of Missouri left for their first trip to Cuba last
weekend hopinig to push a law proposal created by Klobuchar seeking to
lift the embargo from the U.S. to Cuba.

"We have a historic opportunity to modernize the relationship that our
country has with Cuba and it's a moment that we must take advantage of,"
Klobuchar said in a statement released Tuesday.

"This visit is an opportunity to meet with Cuban officials in the areas
of agriculture and exports, to explore ways in which we could modernize
the relations between our countries and create new economic
opportunities in those areas for businesses in Minnesota as well as
within the entire nation," Klobuchar said. "Minnesota exported about $20
million worth of agricultural products to Cuba in 2013, and my main
focus is to seek strategies which will increase this number."

Other Democratic members of Congress traveling with Pelosi were: Eliot
Engel (New York), Jim McGovern (Massachusetts), Rosa DeLauro
(Connecticut), Collin Peterson (Minnesota), Anna Eshoo (California),
Nydia Velazquez (New York), Steve Israel (New York) and David Cicilline
(Rhode Island).

On Thursday, Pelosi plans to hold a news conference in the U.S.
Interests Section in Havana.

Source: Pelosi heads congressional democratic delegation in Cuba | The
Miami Herald The Miami Herald -
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article10559894.html