Trump policy change on Cuba coming, but he has not made decision yet

Trump policy change on Cuba coming, but he has not made decision yet
BY NORA GÁMEZ TORRES
ngameztorres@elnuevoherald.com

President Donald Trump is scheduled to announce a revised policy on
relations with Cuba on Friday in Miami, but a White House spokeswoman
told el Nuevo Herald that Trump had not yet seen the final
recommendations following a lengthy review and has not made a decision.

"The president has not seen the final proposal and has not approved it.
He is a very independent president in his way of thinking and it would
not be the first time he throws something back to be reviewed," White
House spokeswoman Helen Aguirre Ferré said.

She did say that the Manuel Artime Theater in Little Havana is one of
the places the White House has been looking at for events to be held in
the city.

The Miami Herald reported Monday that the theater canceled an event on
Friday from the Miami Royal Ballet apparently to make way for a White
House event.

Among the changes that would be considered by the Trump administration
are measures to limit business ventures between U.S. companies and Cuban
entities controlled by the military, in particular, those belonging to
the conglomerate known as GAESA, the economic arm of the Revolutionary
Armed Forces that controls nearly 60 percent of the Cuban economy.

"The United States Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets
Control (OFAC) is expected to publish a list of Cuban entities
controlled by the" Cuban military, said John Kavulich, president of U.S.
Cuba Trade and Economic Council. Companies could be added to an OFAC
blacklist to ban financial transactions involving these companies, he added.

Asked about the alleged list on Monday, the Department of Treasury said
in a statement: "We don't comment on investigations, and don't have
additional sanctions to announce today."

Aguirre Ferré said a proposal to prohibit business with GAESA, "is one
of the many possibilities discussed. It is being considered as one of
the many options.

"But almost everything is being looked at."

Follow Nora Gámez Torres on Twitter: @ngameztorres

Source: President Donald Trump has not read Cuba policy review proposal
| Miami Herald -
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article155748034.html