Obama: a New day in relations with Cuba

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Cuba

Obama: a New day in relations with Cuba

Friends you are not yet, but the old enmity is overcome. In the Palace of Revolution in Havana, US President Barack Obama has been of Cuba head of state Raul Castro received.

US President Obama has praised his historic visit to Cuba as a new beginning in relations between the once-warring countries. “It’s a new day,” Obama said after his Meeting with Raúl Castro in Havana. The US President praised the “progress” in Cuba. At the same time, his government is going to penetrate, but more to an improvement in democracy and human rights.

Castro (l.) welcomed Obama with military honors

Easing of the embargo sought

Also, Castro assessed the rapprochement between the U.S. and Cuba positively. However, both countries would have to put it back, still a “long and complex path”. The profound differences of opinion between the two countries will disappear after the words of Castro, however, never quite.

The Cuban head of state urged once again the end of the US trade embargo against the Communist Caribbean state. “We recognize the Position of President Obama and his government for the Blockade as well as their repeated Appeals to Congress to override them,” he said. The recent steps of Washington were “positive but not sufficient”.

Warm Welcome with US Flag as the convoy of Obama drives past

At the start of his visit to the Caribbean island, Obama had expressed Confidence about the changes in the socialist country. “The change will come, and I think Raúl Castro understands that,” Obama told the US broadcaster ABC. “The time was ripe.”

Obama will be accompanied on his trip by wife Michelle (l) and the two daughters

Cubans should bring change in ourselves

In 1961 the USA broke off the diplomatic relations. In the past year, both countries exchanged their first ambassadors. Despite the re-opening of the embassies is clear, however, that “there is more depth differences in terms of human rights and individual freedoms in Cuba,” Obama said in the ABC Interview. The United States wanted to encourage the population, the change itself.

At the start of his three-day Visit, he met with Archbishop cardinal Jaime Ortega. The cardinal played together with Pope Francis a crucial role in the re-rapprochement of Cuba and the United States. Obama is the first US President since 88 years, visited Cuba.

Meeting with activists

He had been landed on Sunday afternoon and by foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez received.
“Que bolá Cuba?”- “How’s it going, Cuba?” he tweeted immediately after his arrival, and used the Cuban slang. On Tuesday, the US President will address a speech at the Great theatre of Havana, directly to the Cubans. Prior to that, a Meeting with representatives of the civil society is planned.

Members of the opposition temporarily arrested

The people will be pursuing his rights, harassed on the island, and again imprisoned. The Meeting with the activists had Obama as a condition for his travel. A few hours before Obama’s arrival were once again been the opposition arrested. Including Berta Soler, spokeswoman of the opposition group “ladies in White”.

It was released along with other activists in the night to Monday again, how the media reported on it. The women are committed to freedom of expression and political reforms. Also on the edge of the Pope’s visit in September of 2015, many of them came for a time in Arrest.

uh/se (rtr, afp, epd)