Miscellaneous News

WASHINGTON — The United States will restore full diplomatic relations with Cuba and open an embassy in Havana for the first time in more than a half-century after the release of an American contractor held in prison for five years, American officials said Wednesday.

In a deal negotiated during 18 months of secret talks hosted largely by Canada and encouraged by Pope Francis, who hosted a final meeting at the Vatican, President Obama and President Raúl Castro of Cuba agreed in a telephone call to put aside decades of hostility to find a new relationship between the United States and the island nation just 90 minutes off the American coast.

The contractor, Alan Gross, boarded an American government plane bound for the United States on Wednesday morning, and the United States sent back three Cuban spies who had been in an American prison since 1981. American officials said the Cuban spies were swapped for a United States intelligence agent who had been in a Cuban prison for nearly 20 years, and said Mr. Gross was not technically part of the swap, but was released separately on “humanitarian grounds.”

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(ABC News) The release of Alan Gross, the American contractor imprisoned in Cuba for more than five years, “set a price on the head of every American abroad,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, said in an interview today.

“I would love for there to be normal relations with Cuba, but for that to happen, Cuba has to be normal, and it's not. It is a brutal dictatorship,” Rubio, who is a Cuban-American, told ABC News' Jeff Zeleny. “Now dictatorships know that if they take an American, they may be able to get unilateral policy concessions.”

According to Rubio, the Obama administration’s intention to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba is “terrible for the Cuban people.”

The Cuban government won’t allow free elections, political parties, or freedom of the press “just because people can buy Coca Cola,” said the Florida Republican, who is often mentioned as a potential 2016 presidential candidate. He added, “Five years from now, Cuba will still be a dictatorship -- but a much more profitable one.”

“I think this has now made it even harder to achieve the sort of democracy in Cuba that you find virtually everywhere else in this hemisphere,” Rubio said.

Rubio called President Obama the “worst negotiator” of “my lifetime.”

“He'll give up everything in exchange for nothing,” Rubio said. “What have the Cubans agreed to do?”

“The United States today, under this president, has opened up relationships with the most brutal dictatorship this hemisphere has known for the better part of 50 years. And all it's done is it's sent a signal to others fighting for democracy in the region and around the world that the US is not a reliable partner when it comes to fighting for democracy," he said.

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TerraN_EmpirE said:

I wonder what else the Admin gave away? Since 1959 the Us has been sending Checks to the Cuban government to pay our lease on Guantanamo rent in 59, was a steal ( I am sure even our more pro Castro members would agree) at about $4,085.00 there is no word on if they ever adjusted for inflation but if I do my math Right assuming they cash the 2015 year check and all the old ones thats a $232,845.00 (188714.19 Euro) pay day for Fidel and Raul.
Now the Dollar today is not the Dollar of 1959 if we adjust for inflation that $4,085.00 becomes $32,941.36. now we punch that in and we still have a bargain at $1,877,657.52 (1521171.15 Euro) or the money stuck in the cushions of Bill Gates Couch. Of course that's only if the Admin has not negotiated a Dictators Ransom for the new rent.

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delft said:

The rent for Gitmo was agreed in the lease agreement between US and the US installed puppet regime of 1903. Cuba wants an end to the occupation and has sent the money back each year from when it became independent in 1959.

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SteelBird said:

I read from wiki (everyone agrees that wiki is not so reliable source) that the new government of Cuba accept the check once that the US government claims the agreement is still valid. The Cuban government later on cut water and electricity supplies and also prohibit its citizens to work in Guantanamo.

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TerraN_EmpirE said:

Delft No one knows what blew up the Maine it was so long ago that no real investigation could ever be run.

What ever the situation regarding Gitmo it's boiler plate. much to do about something that won't change any time soon. best Havana could get is a new treaty with a new rent.

Cuban American relations have been stabilizing since about 2002 when the US gave exemptions to Agricultural and Medical suppliers to sell to the Cubans today the US is already one of the top exporters to Cuba and there is already regular flights and irregular tourism/ However it's not something to be proud of The Cuban regime is still a very very deeply ingrained police state. but it's one that has to face financial reality. It's economy has functioned parasitically off the Soviets then the Bulivar Venezueliens today neither state are in any condition to aid them. They have defaulted on or been Forgiven loans from the Russian Federation and USSR, Japan, the PRC, US, France, UK, Canada and a few more. there scrapping the bottom of the barrel.

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delft said:

NO DISCUSSION, except that the wreck of the Maine was cleared and the location of the explosion was determined. ...

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