Next move in U.S.-Cuba thaw rests in Havana
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Version 0 of 1. HAVANA — The Cuban government offered measured praise for President Obama’s decision to clear the country from a list of terrorism-sponsoring nations but gave no indication following the announcement whether it would accelerate plans to normalize diplomatic relations. Though Obama’s decision does not require congressional approval, it gives U.S. lawmakers 45 days to introduce legislation to attempt to block it. White House officials do not expect that to happen, but it’s not clear whether Cuba plans to wait for the period to elapse before going through the ceremonies of re-opening embassies in both capitals to end one of the Cold War’s last diplomatic estrangements. In a brief statement Tuesday night, Josefina Vidal, the director of U.S. relations at Cuba’s Foreign Ministry, said her government “recognizes the just decision made by the President of the United States to remove Cuba from a list on which it never deserved to belong.” “As the Cuban government has reiterated on multiple occasions, Cuba rejects and condemns all acts of terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, as well as any act whose objective is to encourage, support, finance or give shelter to terrorists,” her statement read. President Obama and Cuban leader Raúl Castro met Saturday in Panama at the Summit of the Americas, the highest-level encounter between the two countries in nearly 60 years. With Obama seated beside him, Castro told reporters: “We are willing to discuss everything, but we need to be patient, very patient.” [View: Images from the Americas summit] U.S. and Cuban diplomats have held three rounds of talks on restoring diplomatic relations. Cuban officials have insisted they want to ensure an “appropriate context” for renewed ties, and they viewed their inclusion on the U.S. list of terrorism sponsors as the biggest sticking point. It is more than a matter of pride, they say. Cuba’s inclusion on the terrorism list has left its diplomatic missions in Washington and New York without financial services for more than a year, because no U.S. bank has been willing to take on the risk of possible U.S. fines related to Cuban transactions. Cuban officials say they cannot be expected to operate an embassy without a checking account. But a senior U.S. official told reporters Tuesday that Cuba’s banking problems are nearly resolved. Other pending issues between the two countries — including restrictions on the movements of U.S. diplomats in Cuba — have also been mostly ironed out, according to sources close to the talks. That leaves the 45-day period for opponents of Obama’s opening on Cuba to try to keep the Castro government on the terrorism list, along with nations such as Syria, Sudan and Iran. They cite Cuba’s recent weapons shipments from North Korea and the Castro government’s refusal to hand over U.S. fugitives long ago granted political asylum on the island, especially Joanne Chesimard, a.k.a. Assata Shakur, a militant activist convicted of killing a New Jersey state trooper in 1973. “How can we say Cuba is not a state sponsor of terrorism when the Castro regime continues to harbor dozens of other American fugitives: cop killers, plane hijackers, bomb makers, arms traffickers?” said a statement from Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), the son of Cuban immigrants. [A diplomatic breakthrough hatched in secret] But such criticism would have to quickly jell into a successful legislative push to halt Obama’s Cuba opening, a policy that appears to have a wide measure of public support, according to polls. If Havana is confident enough that its removal from the terrorism list won’t be reversed, it may be willing to set an earlier date for the embassy openings. But some observers are skeptical. “I think what the United States wanted was to have an impact at the Summit of the Americas, and it achieved that with the meeting between Obama and Raúl,” said retired Cuban diplomat Carlos Alzugaray, who is following the negotiations closely. “It doesn’t seem like either side is in a huge hurry,” he said. Read more: The U.S. and Cuba will soon agree to reopen their embassies. Here’s what happens next. Facing new test, Cuba’s revolution circles back In Cuba, harassment of U.S. diplomats even extends to their pets. Will that now change? Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world |