President Barack Obama has moved closer to removing a major hurdle in the US-Cuba diplomatic thaw.
A US lawmaker has indicated that the President could take Havana off a list of state sponsors of terrorism.
As Mr Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro landed in Panama for a historic encounter at the Summit of the Americas, it emerged that the US State Department has recommended to take Cuba off the blacklist.
Earlier, Mr Obama said he would not make a formal announcement until he has the recommendations in full, but a leading member of the Senate foreign relations committee indicated the department's advice was clear.
Senator Ben Cardin said the move was "an important step forward in our efforts to forge a more fruitful relationship with Cuba."
Having Cuba's name on the list has been a major sticking point in negotiations aimed at reopening embassies, which closed after the Cold War-era foes broke relations in 1961.
The blacklisting means that Cuba is subject to a ban on weapons exports and economic aid as well as financial sanctions that make it difficult to get World Bank and other loans.
Cuba was first put on the list, which also includes Syria, Sudan and Iran, in 1982 for harbouring ETA Basque separatist militants and Colombian FARC rebels.
During a visit to Jamaica before heading to Panama, Mr Obama said the overall talks on establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba was moving along as he expected.
"I never foresaw that immediately overnight everything would transform itself, that suddenly Cuba became a partner diplomatically with us the way Jamaica is, for example," he said. "That's going to take some time."
"I do think that we'll be in a position to move forward on the opening of embassies in respective countries," Mr Obama said.
An announcement about the terror list during the 35-nation Summit of the Americas on Friday and Saturday would add to the historic symbolism of the gathering.
The meeting will mark the first time that a Cuban leader attends the event, heralding a new milestone in the diplomatic thaw.
"Cuba's presence on the list is seen in Cuba as an unfounded insult and a lie," said Arturo Lopez-Levy, a Cuban analyst at New York University.
Mark Weisbrot, director of the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research think tank, said removing Cuba from the list would be "just the beginning" of efforts to normalize relations.
"This is just a bare-minimum first step," Mr Weisbrot said, noting that Havana also wants Congress to lift the US embargo and Washington to abandon the Guantanamo Bay naval base on Cuba's eastern edge.
Cuba's removal from the list would not be immediate. Congress would have 45 days to decide whether to override Mr Obama's recommendation.
A US lawmaker has indicated that the President could take Havana off a list of state sponsors of terrorism.
As Mr Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro landed in Panama for a historic encounter at the Summit of the Americas, it emerged that the US State Department has recommended to take Cuba off the blacklist.
Earlier, Mr Obama said he would not make a formal announcement until he has the recommendations in full, but a leading member of the Senate foreign relations committee indicated the department's advice was clear.
Senator Ben Cardin said the move was "an important step forward in our efforts to forge a more fruitful relationship with Cuba."
Having Cuba's name on the list has been a major sticking point in negotiations aimed at reopening embassies, which closed after the Cold War-era foes broke relations in 1961.
The blacklisting means that Cuba is subject to a ban on weapons exports and economic aid as well as financial sanctions that make it difficult to get World Bank and other loans.
Cuba was first put on the list, which also includes Syria, Sudan and Iran, in 1982 for harbouring ETA Basque separatist militants and Colombian FARC rebels.
During a visit to Jamaica before heading to Panama, Mr Obama said the overall talks on establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba was moving along as he expected.
"I never foresaw that immediately overnight everything would transform itself, that suddenly Cuba became a partner diplomatically with us the way Jamaica is, for example," he said. "That's going to take some time."
"I do think that we'll be in a position to move forward on the opening of embassies in respective countries," Mr Obama said.
An announcement about the terror list during the 35-nation Summit of the Americas on Friday and Saturday would add to the historic symbolism of the gathering.
The meeting will mark the first time that a Cuban leader attends the event, heralding a new milestone in the diplomatic thaw.
"Cuba's presence on the list is seen in Cuba as an unfounded insult and a lie," said Arturo Lopez-Levy, a Cuban analyst at New York University.
Mark Weisbrot, director of the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research think tank, said removing Cuba from the list would be "just the beginning" of efforts to normalize relations.
"This is just a bare-minimum first step," Mr Weisbrot said, noting that Havana also wants Congress to lift the US embargo and Washington to abandon the Guantanamo Bay naval base on Cuba's eastern edge.
Cuba's removal from the list would not be immediate. Congress would have 45 days to decide whether to override Mr Obama's recommendation.
[ rte.ie]
10/4/15
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U.S., Cuba hold highest-level meeting in more than 50 years...
ReplyDeleteThe U.S. and Cuban foreign ministers met in Panama on Thursday, a U.S. official said, in the highest-level meeting between the two sides since the earliest days of the Cuban revolution more than half a century ago.
The discussions between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez marked the first time the two nations' chief diplomats have met since a historic opening by President Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro, that was announced on Dec. 17 last year.
The closed-door meeting took place at a Panama City hotel on the eve of a Western Hemisphere summit where Obama and Castro will cross paths. The State Department had said earlier that Kerry and Rodriguez planned to meet on Thursday
Other regional leaders also are gathering in Panama City for the Summit of the Americas held every three years....REUTERS....todayonline.com
10/4/15
Die US-Regierung will Kuba nach Worten des demokratischen Senators Ben Cardin von der Liste der Terror-Unterstützer streichen. Dies empfehle das Außenministerium. Am Rande des Amerika-Gipfels nahmen die Außenminister beider Länder erstmals Gespräche auf...
ReplyDeleteDie Regierung in Washington will Kuba nach Angaben eines einflussreichen US-Parlamentariers von ihrer Liste der Unterstützerstaaten des Terrorismus streichen. Nach einer mehrmonatigen Prüfung empfehle das US-Außenministerium diesen Schritt, erklärte der Demokrat Ben Cardin, führendes Mitglied des Ausschusses für internationale Beziehungen im US-Senat, in Washington. Dies sei "ein wichtiger Schritt in Richtung unserer Bemühungen, ein fruchtbareres Verhältnis zu Kuba aufzubauen"................tagesschau.de
10/4/15