Obama to Loosen Restrictions on Policy With Cuba
By ERIC SCHMITT and DAMIEN CAVE
WASHINGTON — President Obama plans to abandon longstanding restrictions on family travel and remittances to Cuba, an administration official said Saturday, fulfilling a campaign promise in a pivotal swing state and signaling a possible warming of relations with the Castro government.
The White House is expected to announce the action before Mr. Obama travels to Trinidad and Tobago for a meeting on April 17 of Latin American and Caribbean leaders.
The House and Senate are considering legislation that would go even further than the administration and allow all Americans unlimited travel to Cuba.
While precise details of the plan are still being worked out, Mr. Obama is not expected to call for the lifting of the trade embargo on Cuba, which would require Congressional approval, the administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the policy change has not been formally announced.
Cuba analysts said Friday that they did not expect any new diplomatic initiatives toward the island nation. “It’s a humanitarian step, but it doesn’t get at the root of our foreign policy problem with Cuba because we don’t have full contact,” said Philip Peters, a Cuba specialist and vice president at the Lexington Institute, a policy research center.
Read full article at The New York Times.
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~ by Rafael Martel on April 4, 2009.
Posted in Cuban-Americans, Cubanos, Cubiches, Current Events
Tags: Barack Obama, Cuba
