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| Kerry Strikes Delicate Balance in Havana Trip for Embassy Flag-Raising | Kerry Strikes Delicate Balance in Havana Trip for Embassy Flag-Raising |
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| HAVANA, Cuba — John Kerry, the first American secretary of state to visit Cuba in 70 years, called on Friday for the Cuban government to do more to improve relations during a speech here celebrating the opening of the American Embassy. | HAVANA, Cuba — John Kerry, the first American secretary of state to visit Cuba in 70 years, called on Friday for the Cuban government to do more to improve relations during a speech here celebrating the opening of the American Embassy. |
| “The president has taken steps to ease restrictions on remittances, on exports and imports to help Cuban private entrepreneurs, on telecommunications, on family travel, but we want to go further,” Mr. Kerry said under a baking sun. | “The president has taken steps to ease restrictions on remittances, on exports and imports to help Cuban private entrepreneurs, on telecommunications, on family travel, but we want to go further,” Mr. Kerry said under a baking sun. |
| “Just as we are doing our part, we urge the Cuban government to make it less difficult for their citizens to start businesses, to engage in trade, access information online,” Mr. Kerry added. “The embargo has always been something of a two-way street. Both sides need to remove restrictions that have been holding Cubans back.” | “Just as we are doing our part, we urge the Cuban government to make it less difficult for their citizens to start businesses, to engage in trade, access information online,” Mr. Kerry added. “The embargo has always been something of a two-way street. Both sides need to remove restrictions that have been holding Cubans back.” |
| Mr. Kerry’s remarks highlighted an issue that has often been overlooked in the debate over the Obama administration’s decision to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba: Many of the steps that the United States is taking to encourage political and economic change here will fall short unless the Cuban government makes reciprocal moves. | Mr. Kerry’s remarks highlighted an issue that has often been overlooked in the debate over the Obama administration’s decision to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba: Many of the steps that the United States is taking to encourage political and economic change here will fall short unless the Cuban government makes reciprocal moves. |
| The White House’s new Cuba policy encourages telecommunications companies, for example, to provide services in Cuba and to export equipment that would link the island with the United States. But most Cubans need a license to access the Internet from their homes or businesses, which is not easy for ordinary citizens to obtain. | The White House’s new Cuba policy encourages telecommunications companies, for example, to provide services in Cuba and to export equipment that would link the island with the United States. But most Cubans need a license to access the Internet from their homes or businesses, which is not easy for ordinary citizens to obtain. |
| The White House policy also seeks to encourage entrepreneurship. But the tax rates for small entrepreneurs in Cuba can be very high, and only a limited number of jobs are open to self-employment. | The White House policy also seeks to encourage entrepreneurship. But the tax rates for small entrepreneurs in Cuba can be very high, and only a limited number of jobs are open to self-employment. |
| The administration seeks to encourage financial transactions between the United States and Cuba. But the Cuban government charges a substantial commission for converting American dollars to pesos, Western officials point out. | The administration seeks to encourage financial transactions between the United States and Cuba. But the Cuban government charges a substantial commission for converting American dollars to pesos, Western officials point out. |
| At a joint news conference later in the day, Mr. Kerry and his Cuban counterpart, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, sought to accentuate the positive. The diplomats said the two sides would set up a committee to discuss ways to expand cooperation in areas like civil aviation, health care, law enforcement and financial claims. | |
| But Mr. Kerry described this as more of a gradual process to “build confidence” between the two sides instead of a mechanism to immediately confront the hardest issues that still separate them. | |
| And while Mr. Rodríguez said he agreed on the need to open up “new areas of dialogue,” he gave no ground on human rights. He fended off criticism of Cuba’s human rights record by going on the offensive and mentioning racism, police brutality, torture, “judicial limbo” and “civilian casualties,” which he implied had been carried out by the United States. | |
| Though the American Embassy in Havana officially reopened last month as part of the diplomatic thaw with Cuba, Mr. Kerry’s arrival here was intended to give a lift to the effort to rebuild ties after more than half a century of hostilities. | Though the American Embassy in Havana officially reopened last month as part of the diplomatic thaw with Cuba, Mr. Kerry’s arrival here was intended to give a lift to the effort to rebuild ties after more than half a century of hostilities. |
| But Mr. Kerry’s visit — the first by a secretary of state since Edward R. Stettinius Jr. made a short trip to Havana in 1945 — also reflects the balance that the Obama administration is trying to strike between working with an authoritarian government and supporting Cuba’s beleaguered dissidents. | But Mr. Kerry’s visit — the first by a secretary of state since Edward R. Stettinius Jr. made a short trip to Havana in 1945 — also reflects the balance that the Obama administration is trying to strike between working with an authoritarian government and supporting Cuba’s beleaguered dissidents. |
| Mr. Kerry said at the embassy that “Cuba’s future is for Cubans to decide,” and that the choice of how they would be governed was solely their responsibility. | Mr. Kerry said at the embassy that “Cuba’s future is for Cubans to decide,” and that the choice of how they would be governed was solely their responsibility. |
| But he added that the United States remained convinced that “the people of Cuba would be best served by a genuine democracy, where people are free to choose their leaders, express their ideas and practice their faith; where the commitment to economic and social justice is realized more fully; where institutions are answerable to those they serve; and where civil society is independent and allowed to flourish.” | But he added that the United States remained convinced that “the people of Cuba would be best served by a genuine democracy, where people are free to choose their leaders, express their ideas and practice their faith; where the commitment to economic and social justice is realized more fully; where institutions are answerable to those they serve; and where civil society is independent and allowed to flourish.” |
| The embassy ceremony, streamed live on the State Department website, was attended by ranking Cuban and American officials, United States lawmakers, Swiss diplomats and some private citizens, but no Cuban dissidents. | The embassy ceremony, streamed live on the State Department website, was attended by ranking Cuban and American officials, United States lawmakers, Swiss diplomats and some private citizens, but no Cuban dissidents. |
| “It is principally a government-to-government event,” a senior State Department official said. | “It is principally a government-to-government event,” a senior State Department official said. |
| In the afternoon, however, Mr. Kerry will have an opportunity to talk with Cuban human rights proponents and political activists at a reception at the official residence of Jeffrey DeLaurentis, who is serving as the top American diplomat in Cuba until an ambassador is nominated and confirmed. | In the afternoon, however, Mr. Kerry will have an opportunity to talk with Cuban human rights proponents and political activists at a reception at the official residence of Jeffrey DeLaurentis, who is serving as the top American diplomat in Cuba until an ambassador is nominated and confirmed. |
| The morning’s highlight was the carefully choreographed ceremony at the embassy. Richard Blanco, a Cuban-American poet who read a poem at President Obama’s swearing-in after the 2012 election, becoming the first openly gay person to deliver such a reading, recited one of his works before Mr. Kerry spoke. | The morning’s highlight was the carefully choreographed ceremony at the embassy. Richard Blanco, a Cuban-American poet who read a poem at President Obama’s swearing-in after the 2012 election, becoming the first openly gay person to deliver such a reading, recited one of his works before Mr. Kerry spoke. |
| Three retired Marines who had lowered the American flag when the embassy was closed in 1961 presented another to be raised by the Marines now assigned to the diplomatic post. (Unlike the Cubans, who opened their embassy in Washington last month by displaying the very flag they took down more than half a century ago, the Americans used a new one.) The United States Army Brass Quintet played the Cuban and American national anthems. | Three retired Marines who had lowered the American flag when the embassy was closed in 1961 presented another to be raised by the Marines now assigned to the diplomatic post. (Unlike the Cubans, who opened their embassy in Washington last month by displaying the very flag they took down more than half a century ago, the Americans used a new one.) The United States Army Brass Quintet played the Cuban and American national anthems. |
| The lectern for the ceremony was set up next to the flagpole near the north side of the waterfront embassy compound, making the waters of the Straits of Florida a backdrop for the speakers and musicians — what Mr. Blanco called “the lucid blues of our shared horizon.” | The lectern for the ceremony was set up next to the flagpole near the north side of the waterfront embassy compound, making the waters of the Straits of Florida a backdrop for the speakers and musicians — what Mr. Blanco called “the lucid blues of our shared horizon.” |
| Placing the scene unmistakably in Havana were three vintage Chevrolets parked strategically on the boulevard outside the compound fence, including a black 1959 Impala sedan, a cherry red 1957 Bel Air convertible, and a 1955 Bel Air hardtop coupe in baby blue and white. Mr. Kerry jokingly thanked his hosts for having “my future transportation” on hand for the occasion. | |
| Early in his remarks, Mr. Kerry delivered a passage in Spanish, saying that while the road to fully normal relations would be long, there was nothing to fear, and that the benefits of improved relations would be great for the citizens of both countries. Returning to English, he noted other examples of countries with which the United States had fruitfully reconciled after decades of enmity, including Vietnam, and he referred to Cuba and the United States “as two peoples who are no longer enemies or rivals, but neighbors.” | Early in his remarks, Mr. Kerry delivered a passage in Spanish, saying that while the road to fully normal relations would be long, there was nothing to fear, and that the benefits of improved relations would be great for the citizens of both countries. Returning to English, he noted other examples of countries with which the United States had fruitfully reconciled after decades of enmity, including Vietnam, and he referred to Cuba and the United States “as two peoples who are no longer enemies or rivals, but neighbors.” |
| During his nearly 12 hours in Havana, Mr. Kerry will also meet with Cardinal Jaime Ortega of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Havana, who played a role in the back-channel talks on restoring relations. Mr. Kerry, who was busy lobbying on behalf of the Iran nuclear deal when the embassy opened last month, does not plan to meet with President Raúl Castro or former President Fidel Castro, his brother. | |
| In an interview on the Spanish-language television network Telemundo on Wednesday, Mr. Kerry said that he planned to squeeze in an “open, free walk in Old Havana” before returning to Washington on Friday evening. | In an interview on the Spanish-language television network Telemundo on Wednesday, Mr. Kerry said that he planned to squeeze in an “open, free walk in Old Havana” before returning to Washington on Friday evening. |
| “After 54 years of seeing zero progress,” he said in the interview, “one of the things we negotiated was the ability of our diplomats to be able to meet with people in Cuba and not to be restrained. And I believe the people of Cuba benefit by virtue of that presence and that ability.” | “After 54 years of seeing zero progress,” he said in the interview, “one of the things we negotiated was the ability of our diplomats to be able to meet with people in Cuba and not to be restrained. And I believe the people of Cuba benefit by virtue of that presence and that ability.” |
| Just how much access American diplomats will have to the Cuban population, however, remains unclear. The State Department official said that American diplomats would be required to notify the Cuban authorities when they wanted to travel, and that the embassy would function much like other diplomatic posts “in restrictive environments around the world.” | Just how much access American diplomats will have to the Cuban population, however, remains unclear. The State Department official said that American diplomats would be required to notify the Cuban authorities when they wanted to travel, and that the embassy would function much like other diplomatic posts “in restrictive environments around the world.” |
| In China, a prominent “restrictive environment,” the authorities have sought to prevent American diplomats from speaking at public events and have put some areas of the country off limits. | In China, a prominent “restrictive environment,” the authorities have sought to prevent American diplomats from speaking at public events and have put some areas of the country off limits. |
| In June, Tom Malinowski, the senior State Department official for human rights, strongly defended the policy to normalize relations with Cuba, saying that it would remove the Cuban authorities’ argument that the United States was at fault for Cuba’s problems, and would “put the focus where it belongs — on their actions and on their policies.” | In June, Tom Malinowski, the senior State Department official for human rights, strongly defended the policy to normalize relations with Cuba, saying that it would remove the Cuban authorities’ argument that the United States was at fault for Cuba’s problems, and would “put the focus where it belongs — on their actions and on their policies.” |
| At the same time, Mr. Malinowski acknowledged, American officials “have not yet seen a letup in the kind of day-to-day harassment that civil society activists face in Cuba,” including short-term arrests. | At the same time, Mr. Malinowski acknowledged, American officials “have not yet seen a letup in the kind of day-to-day harassment that civil society activists face in Cuba,” including short-term arrests. |
| Mr. Kerry is leading a delegation that includes eight American lawmakers who strongly back the White House policy to restore diplomatic and economic ties; more than a half-dozen Cuban-Americans; and senior officials from the Treasury Department, the Commerce Department and the White House. An extra plane was arranged to accommodate the lawmakers and journalists who wanted to go. | Mr. Kerry is leading a delegation that includes eight American lawmakers who strongly back the White House policy to restore diplomatic and economic ties; more than a half-dozen Cuban-Americans; and senior officials from the Treasury Department, the Commerce Department and the White House. An extra plane was arranged to accommodate the lawmakers and journalists who wanted to go. |
| Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat on the trip who has sponsored legislation to lift the trade embargo, said in a phone interview that the policy to restore relations had broad support among her constituents, including those at a butter-producing company she recently visited. | Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat on the trip who has sponsored legislation to lift the trade embargo, said in a phone interview that the policy to restore relations had broad support among her constituents, including those at a butter-producing company she recently visited. |
| “They thought it is a bit of an opportunity for agriculture,” she said, “but the overriding theme is they just think that the time has come.” | “They thought it is a bit of an opportunity for agriculture,” she said, “but the overriding theme is they just think that the time has come.” |