Monday, April 6, 2009

New move on travel?

President Obama is preparing to end restrictions on travel and remittances for Cuban Americans, according to various news reports over the weekend. If he ends them completely, he will be fulfilling his campaign promise. Reportedly, the plan to announce the move before the Trinidad summit is intended to show some movement in Cuba policy in light of the calls from Latin American and Caribbean leaders for a change in U.S. policy.

Details are scant, and explanation will apparently wait until the official announcement. But AP’s story cites an Administration official: “The intent is to try to test the waters and see if we can get Cuba to move in another direction…One way of getting the regime to open up may be to let people travel, increase exchanges and get money flowing to the island.”

6 comments:

Unknown said...

The intent is to try to test the waters and see if we can get Cuba to move in another direction…One way of getting the regime to open up may be to let people travel, increase exchanges and get money flowing to the island.”

Because the European Union has had so much success with that approach...

Wishful thinking from small minds.

Unknown said...

Phil,

Aren't you supposed to be wining and dining the Congressional Black Caucus in Havana and showing them a good time at Varadero?

What are you doing blogging? Sherritt's paying good money. C'mon now!

jose said...

Henry, why are you such a Homer simpson, mixed in with the Peter from family guy?

Ending family visit travel restrictions is moral and right thing to do for the divided families. I could care less the rationale, the only rationale for me is that I get to see my family more often, without feeling like a criminal.

Real cubans living in cuba feel the same way, never met one Cuban living in Cuba for family visit travel restrictions. In fact, I would bet big $$ that virtually 99 percent of real cubans living in cuba are against us restrictions on family. The reason why this is important is b/c the hardliners frame their arguement as if they were 'for the cuban people'. But why then, do the real 'cuban people' feel so differently than you (old miami)?

Anonymous said...

no no, henry would much prefer to keep the embargo on, keep the travel restrictions going, prohibit americans from seeing cuba for themselves. thank god he'll soon be thrown into the trashcan of history. sorry henry, for 50 years you've had it your way with no affect. i know you'd like to keep hurting the cuban people under the hypocrisy of bringing them 'freedom'. it's time now to step aside gusano and let morality take over.

Elpidio Valdez said...

Embargo (blockade),travel ban, remittances restrictions = political "vendetta" against Cuban people.

Anonymous said...

exactly; american policy against cuba is aimed at the Cuban people, 'to make them scream' bad enough that they'll overthrow the govt. or not even that, the state dept has often said the intent of the policies is not necessarily the removal of the government, but to punish the people for their support, as well as to force the govt into instituting increasingly restrictive policies in order to protect the population. and i have to admit the strategy has worked very well. but at what cost to the cuban people, and to the 'moral authority' of the United States?
anonimo