Next move in U.S.-Cuba thaw rests in Havana

Next move in U.S.-Cuba thaw rests in Havana
By Nick Miroff April 15 at 3:31 PM

HAVANA — The Cuban government offered measured praise for President
Obama's decision to clear the country from a list of
terrorism-sponsoring nations but gave no indication following the
announcement whether it would accelerate plans to normalize diplomatic
relations.

Though Obama's decision does not require congressional approval, it
gives U.S. lawmakers 45 days to introduce legislation to attempt to
block it.

White House officials do not expect that to happen, but it's not clear
whether Cuba plans to wait for the period to elapse before going through
the ceremonies of re-opening embassies in both capitals to end one of
the Cold War's last diplomatic estrangements.

In a brief statement Tuesday night, Josefina Vidal, the director of U.S.
relations at Cuba's Foreign Ministry, said her government "recognizes
the just decision made by the President of the United States to remove
Cuba from a list on which it never deserved to belong."

"As the Cuban government has reiterated on multiple occasions, Cuba
rejects and condemns all acts of terrorism, in all its forms and
manifestations, as well as any act whose objective is to encourage,
support, finance or give shelter to terrorists," her statement read.

President Obama and Cuban leader Raúl Castro met Saturday in Panama at
the Summit of the Americas, the highest-level encounter between the two
countries in nearly 60 years. With Obama seated beside him, Castro told
reporters: "We are willing to discuss everything, but we need to be
patient, very patient."

U.S. and Cuban diplomats have held three rounds of talks on restoring
diplomatic relations. Cuban officials have insisted they want to ensure
an "appropriate context" for renewed ties, and they viewed their
inclusion on the U.S. list of terrorism sponsors as the biggest sticking
point.

It is more than a matter of pride, they say. Cuba's inclusion on the
terrorism list has left its diplomatic missions in Washington and New
York without financial services for more than a year, because no U.S.
bank has been willing to take on the risk of possible U.S. fines related
to Cuban transactions. Cuban officials say they cannot be expected to
operate an embassy without a checking account.

But a senior U.S. official told reporters Tuesday that Cuba's banking
problems are nearly resolved. Other pending issues between the two
countries — including restrictions on the movements of U.S. diplomats in
Cuba — have also been mostly ironed out, according to sources close to
the talks.

That leaves the 45-day period for opponents of Obama's opening on Cuba
to try to keep the Castro government on the terrorism list, along with
nations such as Syria, Sudan and Iran.

They cite Cuba's recent weapons shipments from North Korea and the
Castro government's refusal to hand over U.S. fugitives long ago granted
political asylum on the island, especially Joanne Chesimard, a.k.a.
Assata Shakur, a militant activist convicted of killing a New Jersey
state trooper in 1973.

"How can we say Cuba is not a state sponsor of terrorism when the Castro
regime continues to harbor dozens of other American fugitives: cop
killers, plane hijackers, bomb makers, arms traffickers?" said a
statement from Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), the son of Cuban immigrants.

But such criticism would have to quickly jell into a successful
legislative push to halt Obama's Cuba opening, a policy that appears to
have a wide measure of public support, according to polls.

If Havana is confident enough that its removal from the terrorism list
won't be reversed, it may be willing to set an earlier date for the
embassy openings. But some observers are skeptical.

"I think what the United States wanted was to have an impact at the
Summit of the Americas, and it achieved that with the meeting between
Obama and Raúl," said retired Cuban diplomat Carlos Alzugaray, who is
following the negotiations closely.

"It doesn't seem like either side is in a huge hurry," he said.
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Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world


Nick Miroff is a Latin America correspondent for The Post, roaming from
the U.S.-Mexico borderlands to South America's southern cone. He has
been a staff writer since 2006.

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