Congress reviewing Cuban sanctions, may lift travel ban

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Washington Post

Congress reviewing Cuban sanctions, may lift travel ban
By Howard Schneider
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Mojitos at Varadero Beach . . . fishing in the waters Hemingway immortalized . . . dinner and a show at the Tropicana: A long list of currently forbidden pleasures will become legal for Americans under pending legislation that would lift central provisions of the United States' half-century embargo of Cuba.

The bill is being pushed by business and agriculture groups that have long argued that the Cold War-era sanctions against Cuba should be lifted, but it is opposed by an influential anti-communist lobby, which is against Cuba's ruling Castro family.

But at a time when the Obama administration is fighting to boost U.S. exports, supporters of the bill argue that they have their best chance yet to reopen a country famous for its white sand and hand-rolled cigars, featured in American pop culture from "I Love Lucy" to the "Godfather" films.

The sanctions have been in place since 1959, when communist leader Fidel Castro took over the country and nationalized the holdings of U.S. investors, and they became entrenched in U.S. foreign policy three years later, when Castro tried to import Soviet nuclear weapons.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/06/AR2010070605164.html?wprss=rss_politics

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This story was originally posted by Mika in DU's Latin America forum.

[Lucky Luciano]

1. Please let it be true and I will be visiting in short order!! nt

[saigon68]

2. opposed by an influential anti-communist lobby

Oh yes Communism--

That works real well in China and the failed USSR these days

[lpbk2713]

3. Cuba might be a good place to vacation in the winter.

But I'd pass on going there in the summer.