Democrat Congress Members Defend Better Cuba-U.S. Relations
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U.S. Democrat Congress Members visited Cuba this week and defended the approach between both countries started in 2014 to advance to the normalization of relations. The bicameral delegation was formed by senators Patrick Leahy (Vermont), Ron Wyden (Oregon) and Gary Peters (Michigan) and representatives Jim McGovern (Massachusetts), Kathy Castor (Florida) and Susan Davis (California), who talked in this capital with authorities, small businesspeople and other sectors of society.
In Cuba, legislators criticized the policy followed by president Donald Trump to the island, characterized since his arrival to the White House -in January, 2017- intent on intensifying the economic, commercial and financial blockade enacted over half a century ago and retreat from the progress achieved in 2015 and 2016.
Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced on December, 2014 a process of approach aimed at normalizing relations between Havana and Washington, which led to holding high-level meetings in both capitals and the signing of some twenty cooperation agreements.
During a press round held the eve, at the closing of the visit of the bicameral delegation, the Congress members led by Leahy called to maintain that process and criticized Trump's decision to damage it.
They especially questioned the withdrawal of U.S. diplomats from the island and the expulsion of Cuban diplomats from the United States, using as a pretext alleged health incidents suffered by U.S. officials in this capital, described as sonic attacks by sectors ready to damage bilateral relations.
‘How is anyone to obtain visa and maintain medical cooperation? What about students and agricultural projects? asked Leahy, while McGovern lamented the policy toward Cuba be guided by ‘the paranoia and suspicion'.
Regarding the incidents mentioned by U.S. diplomats, the senator for Vermont admitted the cooperation of the Cuban government in the search for the truth and assured that neither him nor his colleagues of the blue party did not fear to come, because they know there is no danger at all.
The members of the bi-cameral delegation were received on Monday by the Director General for the Unitedf States at the Ministry of Foreign Relations, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, who repeated there is no evidence of sonic attacks against U.S. officials.
Cuba insists it did not allow nor will it permit in its territory any hostility toward foreign officials who comply with obligations derived from the Vienna Convention of 1961 on Diplomatic Relations.
Fernandez de Cossio also thanked visitors for their efforts to improve the links between both neighboring countries.
On Tuesday, U.S. lawmakers talked with president Raul Castro, meeting that Leahy considered took place in an extremely frank and pleasant environment and served to confirm the desire on the Cuban part of continuing to improve the links, despite the present circumstances.
Besides the members of the Capitol, businesspeople, academics and citizens of the northern country reject the aggressiveness deployed against the Caribbean nation by Trump and some conservative voices. / Prensa Latina
