Strong consensus in U.S. Congress for lifting blockade against Cuba: Pelosi
Source: Xinhua
Strong consensus in U.S. Congress for lifting blockade against Cuba: Pelosi
English.news.cn 2015-02-20 13:45:40
HAVANA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua)-- In the U.S. Congress there is a strong bipartisan support for lifting the blockade against Cuba and excluding it from the State Department's list of "countries sponsoring terrorism," U.S. House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said here Thursday.
Pelosi, who was visiting the Caribbean country together with eight other Democratic lawmakers, noted that Cuba and the United States "are living a historical moment" after announcements by President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro on Dec. 17 about the decision to normalize bilateral ties, severed since January 1961.
"This is a huge step forward: we are promoting a new relationship because we have many things to share, with benefits for both sides," she told reporters.
The U.S. delegation on Thursday met with Cuba's First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed topics such as the reform program undertaken by the Castro administration in a bid to upgrade Cuba's national economy, and the U.S. Congressional debate on lifting economic sanctions imposed on Havana since 1962, according to an official release.
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In Havana, Pelosi delegation promotes Obama's Cuba thaw
By Nick Miroff February 19 at 7:21 PM
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U.S. House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi talks, flanked by Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Rep. Eliot Engel during a news conference in Havana Thursday. (Enrique De La Osa/Reuters)
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By Nick Miroff February 19 at 7:21 PM
HAVANA -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and a delegation of congressional Democrats concluded a three-day trip to Cuba Thursday, heaping praise on President Obama's attempt to mend relations with the island but offering few details about their meetings with high-level Cuban officials.
After addressing reporters on the back patio of a U.S. diplomat's residence, Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the eight other members of the delegation, departed for an appointment with Cuba's first vice president, Miguel Diaz-Canal, in what is believed to be the first official meeting between U.S. politicians and the man next in line to succeed 83-year-old Raul Castro.
Pelosi said the purpose of their trip was to gauge Cubans' reactions to Obama's moves, and they had perceived "great enthusiasm" among the Cubans they spoke with.
"We're proud of our president's decision to move forward and change our policy," she said.
The group was scheduled to depart the island after meeting with Diaz-Canal, 54, who is due to take over Cuba's one-party communist government in 2018, when Raul Castro has said he will step down.
More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-havana-pelosi-delegation-promotes-obamas-cuba-thaw/2015/02/19/8b1e2d72-c61e-4d3e-ae77-28e0f2f2baa6_story.html
