Georgetown: A red-carpet welcome was prepared Sunday (March, 20, 2016) as President Barack Obama arrived in Cuba for a historic visit. The first by a U.S. president in 88 years until Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro agreed in December 2014 to end an estrangement that began when Cuba's revolution ousted a pro-American government in 1959, according to President of the Guyana-Cuba Solidarity Movement Haleem Khan. He opined that the three-day trip by President Obama is a practical goal that can bear fruit within his final 10 months in office. Adding that President Obama can make his Cuba policy changes irreversible, even if a Republican wins the White House in November’s election, Khan said though general U.S. tourism to the island is still officially banned under the embargo, a sign of changing times was the presence of groups of U.S. travelers shopping for Cuba’s trademark cigars and rum. Since rapprochement, the Solidarity advocate said the two sides have restored diplomatic ties, signed commercial deals on telecommunications and scheduled airline service, and expanded cooperation on law enforcement and environmental protection. “He used executive authority to loosen
U.S. President Barack Obama (R) and President Raul Castro (L) of Cuba shake hands during a bilateral meeting at the United Nations Headquarters on September 29, 2015 in New York City.
trade and travel restrictions. Cuba also complains about the continued occupation of the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, which Obama has said is not up for discussion, as well as U.S. support for dissidents and anti-communist radio and TV programs beamed into Cuba,” Khan explained. He noted that President Obama plans to address the Cuban people directly in a historic speech on Tuesday. “The trip also comes as a decades-long trade embargo remains in place. Only Congress can lift the embargo, but so far, lawmakers have resisted President Obama’s call to end it…And there are more changes in the works. Last month, the U.S. and Cuba agreed to authorize daily commercial flights between the two countries, and the government is currently considering applications from American airlines to operate these flights.” He noted.
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