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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| US announces ‘historic’ thaw in Cuba ties |
| 2014-12-17 |
| [DAWN] The United States on Wednesday announced a "historic" thaw in relations with Cuba, saying it would work to re-establish diplomatic ties with Havana and ease long-standing trade and travel sanctions. Washington will re-establish an embassy in Havana "in the coming months," a senior administration official said after a prisoner exchange between the two countries. US President Barack Obama I inhaled. That was the point... was due to make a policy announcement at the White House shortly after noon (1700 GMT). Cuban President Compañero Raul Castro ...Fidel's little brother... was set to make a speech at the same time. The pair spoke on Tuesday to discuss the plans for the release of US national Alan Gross and three Cubans held in the United States in exchange for a "US intelligence asset," the official said. "The president also made clear his intent to pursue these policy changes but also to continue our advocacy for human rights ...which often include carefully measured allowances of freedomat the convenience of the state... in Cuba," the officials said. The United States imposed a trade embargo against Cuba ‐ the Cold War foe closest to its shores ‐ in 1960 and the two countries have not had diplomatic relations since 1961. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #22 What? |
| Posted by: JonC 2014-12-17 23:45 |
| #21 As per #19, keeping my fingers crossed = "I Want to Believe" that Globalist Bammer won't do such. That being said, the Bammer has effec thrown a monkey wrench to the GOP-Right + anti-Obama GOP-DEM "Unitarian" Establihsment as per 2016 + taking away most or all of the important issues from the electoral debates. Truth be told, I was suspecting this might happen given recent MSM-Net News on the resumption of construction of the proposed Nicaragua Canal by China. The US kept Cuba, Puerto Rico, + Virgin Islands to protect Panama Canal operations, enforce the "Monroe Doctrine" agz wily dastardly ambitious Euro-Powers,etal. + maintain a strategic toehold in Caribbean, CENTAM = LATAM, + [upper] SOUTH AMERICA. Its highly dubious to see iff China can unilater build the proposed Nicaraguan Canal on its own - OTOH, IMO IFF THE US IS GOING TO ALLOW THE NICARAGUA CANAL TO BE BUILT, THEN IT IS MY BELIEF SHOULD DREDGE = ENLARGE THE RIO GRANDE FOR US-SPECIFIC/CENTRIC TRADE + BORDER SECURITY + OF COURSE OUR MIGHTY FUTURE OWG NAU + SIMILAR NEAR-ABROAD. Three Canals, not one or two, thru CENTAM = LATAM. Moreso given ... * SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, FREEREPUBLIC > 11.0 TRIYUHN GALLONS OF WATER NEEDED TO END CALIFORNIA DROUGHT, SATELLITE STUDY SAYS. * FYI DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS BLOGGER = argued in the wake of this particular news that CUBA should become a US State. ALSO ARGUED THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO SEE ... > 51st US State = PUERTO RICO. > 52nd US State = CANADA. > 53rd US State = MEXICO. > 54th US State = CUBA. D *** NG IT, MORIARITY, I DON'T SEE GREENLAND UNDER OWG NAU OR AS A US STATE, DO YOU!? "AMERICAN DREAM" = "AMERIKAN DREAM" = POST-OWG NAU "NORTH AMERIKAN DREAM"??? Lest we fergit, OWG MIGHTY USSA = OWG WEAK USRoA GLOBAL SSR. * FYI TELEGRAPH.UK > RUSSIA RISKS SOVIET-STYLE COLLPASE AS RUBLE DEFENCE FALLS. Return to Cold War-era Hardline Totalitarian Communism = "Sovietism"??? As Amerika continues to unilater Socialize in the name of OWG + Anti-US, US-led Globalism. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2014-12-17 23:06 |
| #20 Besoeker has nailed it. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2014-12-17 22:39 |
| #19 Again, Champ will terminate the lease and hand everything at GITMO over to the Cubans, then the Russians. Air Force One will be landing at Jose Marti International very soon. Communists stick together, watch it hoppen. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-12-17 22:08 |
| #18 He needs a safe haven for when the torches and pitchforks come out? |
| Posted by: Crairt Uneck6986 2014-12-17 21:42 |
| #17 I thought Obama was against torture? I guess the reason behind the torture matters more than we all realize. |
| Posted by: Airandee 2014-12-17 20:18 |
| #16 The Soviet records show that Khrushchev had to rebuke and threaten Castro who was pissed because Khrushchev didn't nuke the US from Cuba! Still unknown links from Cuba to Oswald and a known desire of Castro to kill Kennedy. Before opening to Cuba both Castros should have exited stage left. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2014-12-17 18:47 |
| #15 I don't get all the dancing either, just looks like a prisoner exchange and an import/export value COLA. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2014-12-17 18:38 |
| #14 Story my dad told about his dad and him; something like: "McConnel AFB is the nearest real target (150+miles away) so we should be safe." "What makes you think they will hit their target?" The more I read about Kennedy, the more I wonder how he didn't get everyone killed. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2014-12-17 17:04 |
| #13 On second glance this is much less than appears. Uncontrolled tourism still not allowed, must be in one of the 12 approved groups. $400 bring back but limit is still $100 on rum and smokes. The embassy is the main change, gonna take awhile to find one, think the old one was turned into an anti-imperialist museum? Higher remits allowed $5K up from $1K. Much smaller move than it would appear. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2014-12-17 16:43 |
| #12 I still remember Oct 1963 I was 8 years old, living on KI Sawyer a SAC base in Michigan. To us duck and cover meant something, also we had a fully stocked bomb shelter under the Gym. Russian ICBMs were so inaccurate that we might have survived. |
| Posted by: Crins Bourbon3320 2014-12-17 16:24 |
| #11 I have no problem with this. For a very long time I've believed green backs would crumble the Castors control. Cubans will run with the ball once they have one. The embargo has been stubborn hubris for the last 50 years. |
| Posted by: Yosemite Sam 2014-12-17 16:04 |
| #10 Which Bacardi becomes the real rum? The current family's product or the cuban state industrial product? Also, resorts int owned the large (c-word) houses of gaming in Havana. At that time it was 1/3 Meyer Lansky (Murder Inc.), 1/3 Howard Hughes, 1/3 CIA. The CIA is still here so would they be owners of record? |
| Posted by: 3dc 2014-12-17 15:59 |
| #9 Frank an unnamed US spy is being returned as well. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2014-12-17 15:07 |
| #8 so, the Cuban Commies imprison an American aid worker for 5 years and we reward them with three spies returned and opening of diplo relations. Great job, Champ. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2014-12-17 14:45 |
| #7 The sanctions kept the Castro brothers in power and made them multi-millionaires. We should have reevaluated the strategy long ago. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2014-12-17 14:35 |
| #6 Should have been done a long time ago. Little Havana is apoplectic. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2014-12-17 14:21 |
| #5 Starting to remind me of the Jummy Carter abandenment of the Panama Canal treaty to China control. Step one trading Taliban terrorists for a deserter, step two sending 5 more akbars to Uruguay, step three wringing hands over the DiF screed on torture to justify more 'humanitarian' releases, step four 'normalize' relations with Cuba, and step 5 would be closing Gitmo followed by a good will gesture giving it back to Cuba and repenting Americas past Imperialism winning the Spanish/American War. Any bets that's the Potentates goal? |
| Posted by: Mugsy Glink 2014-12-17 14:17 |
| #4 Cigars all around! |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2014-12-17 14:15 |
| #3 This may not be a popular Rantburg sentiment, but overall I think this is a good move. It certainly backs Putin and Venezuela into a corner. Commerce is always good. More importantly, this should improve pitching in MLB. |
| Posted by: Penguin 2014-12-17 12:45 |
| #2 While I have no sympathy for the Castro brothers, or their old friend Che, I think it is the height of hypocrisy that we give communist China preferential treatment at the same time we treat Cuba like a pariah. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2014-12-17 12:39 |
| #1 This confirms the Che banners at democratic HQ's, and puts an exclamation point on Che T-shirt sales just in time for Feliz Navidad in Havana. |
| Posted by: Mugsy Glink 2014-12-17 12:13 |