Cuba

Obama arrived in historic visit to Cuba

88 years of the last official visit by a U.S. President in Cuba. Now Barack Obama has entered the long-warring Caribbean state and thus prepare the ground for the compensation.

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Only the Pope came, and now Obama. On Sunday, the US President arrives for a historic visit to Cuba. The process of rapprochement between the two former archenemies have become irreversible.
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Cuba and the United States leave the ice to melt more

Travel facilitation, direct mail – the Ex-archenemies to go demonstratively to each other. On Sunday then the big climax: the first official visit by a U.S. President in Cuba for 88 years. (15.03.2016)

As the first U.S. President since the 1959 Revolution, Barack Obama has arrived in the socialist Cuba. Obama landed in the capital of Havana, where he wants to with the head of state, Raúl Castro, about a further deepening of the process of rapprochement of the long-time sworn enemies to talk. Obama wants to stay until Tuesday in Havana. In front of him a US President in Cuba, in 1928, President Calvin Coolidge was in the first place. In the evening (local time), Obama and wife Michelle take a tour through the famous old town of Havana.

The end of 2014, Obama and Raul Castro agreed on a end of the ice age: The US trade embargo has been relaxed, for example in the financial sector and for the direct ferry. Castro calls for the full lifting of the embargo and a return of the since 1903, under US control of the base in Guántanamo. The United States put on a gradual Opening up and political reform. Recently, there is again a direct post connection, before letters and packages were sent via third countries.

Numerous dissidents in Havana arrested

Obama also wants to talk about the critical human rights situation in Cuba. Shortly before his arrival, were taken in Havana, numerous dissidents. At a Demonstration in a Park, the police had intervened and many of the activists took, were reported by several members of the opposition. Also on the sidelines of the Pope’s visit in September 2015, there were arrests. Often these are intimidation measures, most of the activists left after a few hours. In this case, you could be held up to the departure of Obama.

No Meeting with Fidel Castro

Leader of the revolution Fidel Castro, he is not meeting. Fidel Castro has fueled decades-long hostility to the United States, the Soviet Union became the main ally – the stationing of Soviet nuclear missiles on the island brought the world in 1962, to the brink of nuclear war. Just in time for the visit of Obama photos of Fidel Castro (89) appeared. Send a clear message: On the cover of the Sunday edition of the newspaper “Juventud Rebelde” is Castro in conversation with Venezuela’s socialist President, Nicolás Maduro, to see that demonized the US as imperialist and capitalist.

The approach of his brother and successor as head of state, Raúl Castro, to the United States, sees Fidel skeptical. Maduro was shortly before Obama’s visit in Havana. The socialist “brother States” Cuba and Venezuela are working together very closely, Cuba has sent, among other things, consultants and Doctors to Caracas, Venezuela supplies Cuba with Oil.

Fidel Castro’s “welcome gift” for Obama: Meeting with Venezuelan President Maduro (l.), a fierce U.S. critic

Kerry wants to convey in Havana, in Colombia conflict

U.S. Secretary of state John Kerry will accompany Obama. According to reports in the German press-Agency, Kerry will use the visit to Havana to mediate in the stalled peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas. For this purpose, the Minister wished to meet with the negotiators of both sides. In the Cuban capital, the peace negotiations, which should be finished next Wednesday with a historic contract to run since 2012. But there are problems in Details, for example in the delivery of the weapons of the about 8000 rebels. The so-called “Revolutionary armed forces of Colombia” (FARC) fighting the state since 1964.

The negotiators from both sides were also invited to attend the Baseball game between Cuba’s national team and the Tampa Bay Rays from Floria on Tuesday at the Estadio Latinoamericano in Havana. Also Obama wants to visit the area.

sti/ago (afp, ape, dpa, rtr)