China entrega 587 tractores a la estatal cubana TECNOIMPORT
DDC | La Habana | 29 Sep 2015 - 1:23 pm.
El grupo YTO debe enviar otras 333 unidades antes de que acabe el año.
El secretario del Partido Comunista del grupo chino YTO y vicepresidente
de su Junta Directiva, Wang Er Long, entregó de forma simbólica las
llaves de 587 tractores a la empresa estatal cubana importadora y
exportadora de productos técnicos (TECNOIMPORT), reportó el diario
oficial Granma.
"Esta es otra demostración de cooperación con éxito", dijo el directivo
chino. La entrega es parte de dos lotes, y recientemente tuvo lugar la
rúbrica de otro contrato para el suministro a TECNOIMPORT de 333 nuevas
unidades, que deben arribar a la Isla antes de que concluya el presente
calendario, indicó el reporte.
El embajador chino en Cuba, Zhang Tuo, destacó en la ceremonia,
realizada en el hotel Meliá Cohíba, los históricos nexos entre ambos
regímenes, cuyas relaciones diplomáticas cumplieron el lunes 55 años.
Asimismo, agradeció a la parte cubana por "su confianza y su decisión de
optar por productos chinos", y a los representantes de YTO por ayudar a
la concreción de dicho proyecto.
El reporte oficial no indicó el monto de la operación.
Según Granma, las maquinarias se destinarán principalmente al sistema de
la Agricultura y el Grupo Azucarero Azcuba. Asimismo, al Ministerio de
Salud Pública, Servicios Comunales y la actividad de apoyo a la pesca,
entre otros sectores.
Source: China entrega 587 tractores a la estatal cubana TECNOIMPORT |
Diario de Cuba - http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/1443525803_17204.html
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Unprecedented abstention on UN vote condemning Cuba embargo? US weighs options
Unprecedented abstention on UN vote condemning Cuba embargo? US weighs
options
BRADLEY KLAPPER AND MATTHEW LEE / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 12:08 AM
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration may allow the U.N. to condemn
America's economic embargo against Cuba without a fight, The Associated
Press has learned, an unprecedented step that could increase pressure on
Congress to end the 54-year-old restrictions.
As it does every year, the U.N. General Assembly will vote as early as
next month to demand the embargo's end. But this time, U.S. officials
told the AP that the United States could abstain instead of voting
against the resolution as it normally does.
It is unheard of for a U.N. member state not to oppose resolutions
critical of its own laws. And by not actively opposing the resolution,
the administration would be effectively siding with the world body
against the Republican-led House and Senate, which have refused to
repeal the embargo despite calls from President Barack Obama to do so.
The U.S. and Cuba restored diplomatic relations this year, and leaders
of the two countries want to improve commercial ties. But the embargo
remains.
"Obviously, we have to obey the law," State Department spokesman John
Kirby told reporters Monday. "It doesn't mean you can't take a position
that you want the law changed."
No final decision on how to vote has yet been made, said four
administration officials who weren't authorized to speak publicly on
sensitive internal deliberations and demanded anonymity. White House
spokesman Josh Earnest also declined to weigh in because he said the
proposed resolution wasn't final. He noted, however, that U.S. policy
has changed since the last time the world body assessed the embargo.
The very idea of an abstention prompted immediate Republican criticism.
Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American senator
from Florida, said that by abstaining, Obama would be "putting
international popularity ahead of the national security and foreign
policy interests of the United States." The embargo, he said, denies
money to a dictatorship that can be used to further oppression.
General Assembly resolutions are unenforceable. But the annual exercise
has given Cuba a stage to demonstrate America's isolation on the
embargo, and it has underscored the sense internationally that the U.S.
restrictions are illegitimate.
The United States has lost the votes by increasingly overwhelming and
embarrassing margins. Last year's tally was 188-2 with only Israel
siding with the U.S. Israel would be expected to vote whichever way the
U.S. decides.
The American officials said that the U.S. is still more likely to vote
against the resolution than abstain. However, they said the U.S. will
consider abstaining if the wording of the resolution significantly
differs from previous years. The administration is open to discussing
revisions with the Cubans and others, they added, something American
diplomats have never done before.
The latest U.S. easing of sanctions occurred Friday and was followed by
a rare phone call between Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro. Pope
Francis, who has played a key role in the rapprochement between Havana
and Washington, arrived in Havana a day later. He travels to the U.S. on
Tuesday.
Obama and Castro discussed "steps that the United States and Cuba can
take, together and individually, to advance bilateral co-operation," the
White House said. The Cuban government said Castro "emphasized the need
to expand their scope and abrogate, once and for all, the blockade
policy for the benefit of both peoples."
Neither statement mentioned the U.N. vote. Yet as it has for the past 23
years, Cuba will introduce a resolution at the upcoming General Assembly
criticizing the embargo and demanding its end. Cuba's government
wouldn't comment Monday on the new U.S. consideration.
The U.S. officials, however, said the administration believes an
abstention could send a powerful signal to Congress and the world of
Obama's commitment to end the embargo. Obama says the policy failed over
more than five decades to spur democratic change and left the U.S.
isolated among its Latin American neighbours.
It's unclear what changes would be necessary to prompt a U.S. abstention.
Last year's resolution cited the "necessity of ending the economic,
commercial and financial embargo" and took aim at the Helms-Burton Act.
That 1996 law made foreign firms subject to the same restrictions U.S.
companies face for investing in Cuba, and authorized penalties for
non-U.S. companies operating and dealing with property once owned by
U.S. citizens but confiscated after Fidel Castro's revolution.
A report issued by Cuba last week in support of this year's resolution
doesn't suggest Havana is toning down its approach.
It says American efforts to ease the embargo are "a step in the right
direction but are limited and insufficient in the face of the magnitude
and scope of the blockade laws for Cuba and the rest of the world."
The 37-page document says the embargo has cost the Cuban people $833.7
billion — a number the U.S. would never accept. Washington says the
communist government has used the embargo as an excuse for its own
economic failures.
___
Associated Press writers Jennifer Kay and Sergio Bustos in Miami
contributed to this report.
Source: Unprecedented abstention on UN vote condemning Cuba embargo? US
weighs options -
http://www.yorktonnews.com/unprecedented-abstention-on-un-vote-condemning-cuba-embargo-us-weighs-options-1.2064092
options
BRADLEY KLAPPER AND MATTHEW LEE / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 12:08 AM
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration may allow the U.N. to condemn
America's economic embargo against Cuba without a fight, The Associated
Press has learned, an unprecedented step that could increase pressure on
Congress to end the 54-year-old restrictions.
As it does every year, the U.N. General Assembly will vote as early as
next month to demand the embargo's end. But this time, U.S. officials
told the AP that the United States could abstain instead of voting
against the resolution as it normally does.
It is unheard of for a U.N. member state not to oppose resolutions
critical of its own laws. And by not actively opposing the resolution,
the administration would be effectively siding with the world body
against the Republican-led House and Senate, which have refused to
repeal the embargo despite calls from President Barack Obama to do so.
The U.S. and Cuba restored diplomatic relations this year, and leaders
of the two countries want to improve commercial ties. But the embargo
remains.
"Obviously, we have to obey the law," State Department spokesman John
Kirby told reporters Monday. "It doesn't mean you can't take a position
that you want the law changed."
No final decision on how to vote has yet been made, said four
administration officials who weren't authorized to speak publicly on
sensitive internal deliberations and demanded anonymity. White House
spokesman Josh Earnest also declined to weigh in because he said the
proposed resolution wasn't final. He noted, however, that U.S. policy
has changed since the last time the world body assessed the embargo.
The very idea of an abstention prompted immediate Republican criticism.
Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American senator
from Florida, said that by abstaining, Obama would be "putting
international popularity ahead of the national security and foreign
policy interests of the United States." The embargo, he said, denies
money to a dictatorship that can be used to further oppression.
General Assembly resolutions are unenforceable. But the annual exercise
has given Cuba a stage to demonstrate America's isolation on the
embargo, and it has underscored the sense internationally that the U.S.
restrictions are illegitimate.
The United States has lost the votes by increasingly overwhelming and
embarrassing margins. Last year's tally was 188-2 with only Israel
siding with the U.S. Israel would be expected to vote whichever way the
U.S. decides.
The American officials said that the U.S. is still more likely to vote
against the resolution than abstain. However, they said the U.S. will
consider abstaining if the wording of the resolution significantly
differs from previous years. The administration is open to discussing
revisions with the Cubans and others, they added, something American
diplomats have never done before.
The latest U.S. easing of sanctions occurred Friday and was followed by
a rare phone call between Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro. Pope
Francis, who has played a key role in the rapprochement between Havana
and Washington, arrived in Havana a day later. He travels to the U.S. on
Tuesday.
Obama and Castro discussed "steps that the United States and Cuba can
take, together and individually, to advance bilateral co-operation," the
White House said. The Cuban government said Castro "emphasized the need
to expand their scope and abrogate, once and for all, the blockade
policy for the benefit of both peoples."
Neither statement mentioned the U.N. vote. Yet as it has for the past 23
years, Cuba will introduce a resolution at the upcoming General Assembly
criticizing the embargo and demanding its end. Cuba's government
wouldn't comment Monday on the new U.S. consideration.
The U.S. officials, however, said the administration believes an
abstention could send a powerful signal to Congress and the world of
Obama's commitment to end the embargo. Obama says the policy failed over
more than five decades to spur democratic change and left the U.S.
isolated among its Latin American neighbours.
It's unclear what changes would be necessary to prompt a U.S. abstention.
Last year's resolution cited the "necessity of ending the economic,
commercial and financial embargo" and took aim at the Helms-Burton Act.
That 1996 law made foreign firms subject to the same restrictions U.S.
companies face for investing in Cuba, and authorized penalties for
non-U.S. companies operating and dealing with property once owned by
U.S. citizens but confiscated after Fidel Castro's revolution.
A report issued by Cuba last week in support of this year's resolution
doesn't suggest Havana is toning down its approach.
It says American efforts to ease the embargo are "a step in the right
direction but are limited and insufficient in the face of the magnitude
and scope of the blockade laws for Cuba and the rest of the world."
The 37-page document says the embargo has cost the Cuban people $833.7
billion — a number the U.S. would never accept. Washington says the
communist government has used the embargo as an excuse for its own
economic failures.
___
Associated Press writers Jennifer Kay and Sergio Bustos in Miami
contributed to this report.
Source: Unprecedented abstention on UN vote condemning Cuba embargo? US
weighs options -
http://www.yorktonnews.com/unprecedented-abstention-on-un-vote-condemning-cuba-embargo-us-weighs-options-1.2064092
Obama, at UN, calls for lifting Cuba embargo
Obama, at UN, calls for lifting Cuba embargo
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - President Barack Obama on Monday
called for ending the decades-old US embargo on Cuba, in his address to
the UN General Assembly.
Obama said he was confident that the US Congress will "inevitably lift
an embargo that should not be in place anymore," drawing applause from
the 193-nation assembly.
Washington and Havana reestablished diplomatic relations in July after
more than half a century of enmity.
But the US embargo, which has been in place since 1960, remains a bone
of contention as the Republican-held Congress balks at the
administration's move to end the blockade.
Obama acknowledged that Washington's Cuba policy had "failed to improve
the lives of the Cuban people" but stressed that human rights remained a
concern in relations with Havana.
Obama spoke ahead of Cuban leader Raul Castro's first address to the UN
General Assembly and a meeting is planned Tuesday between the two
leaders, only the second since the thaw in relations.
Source: Obama, at UN, calls for lifting Cuba embargo - Yahoo News -
http://news.yahoo.com/obama-un-calls-lifting-cuba-embargo-144741386.html
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - President Barack Obama on Monday
called for ending the decades-old US embargo on Cuba, in his address to
the UN General Assembly.
Obama said he was confident that the US Congress will "inevitably lift
an embargo that should not be in place anymore," drawing applause from
the 193-nation assembly.
Washington and Havana reestablished diplomatic relations in July after
more than half a century of enmity.
But the US embargo, which has been in place since 1960, remains a bone
of contention as the Republican-held Congress balks at the
administration's move to end the blockade.
Obama acknowledged that Washington's Cuba policy had "failed to improve
the lives of the Cuban people" but stressed that human rights remained a
concern in relations with Havana.
Obama spoke ahead of Cuban leader Raul Castro's first address to the UN
General Assembly and a meeting is planned Tuesday between the two
leaders, only the second since the thaw in relations.
Source: Obama, at UN, calls for lifting Cuba embargo - Yahoo News -
http://news.yahoo.com/obama-un-calls-lifting-cuba-embargo-144741386.html
In U.N. speech, Raúl Castro calls for end of embargo
In U.N. speech, Raúl Castro calls for end of embargo
Castro delivers his first speech ever before U.N. General Assembly
He says lifting the embargo and other conditions must be met before
relations are normal
Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker plans trip to Cuba next week
BY MIMI WHITEFIELD
AND HANNAH ALLAM
mwhitefield@miamiherald.com
UNITED NATIONS
Cuban leader Raúl Castro said Monday in his first address ever before
the United Nations General Assembly that a resolution condemning the
United States for the economic "blockade" against the island would
continue to be raised at the international body until the embargo ceases
to exist.
It was the first General Assembly held since the United States and Cuba
restored diplomatic relations on July 20 after a gap of more than 54
years. Castro and President Barack Obama plans to meet on the sidelines
of the U.N. Tuesday.
"Now a long and complex process begins toward normalization," Castro
said during his General Assembly address.
But he repeated previous declarations that true normalization can only
be achieved if these conditions are met: lifting of the embargo — return
of the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay, the end of U.S.-sponsored Radio
and TV Martí broadcasts and other "destabilizing" activities against
Cuba by the U.S. government, and reparations for the Cuban people for
damages caused by the embargo.
Castro noted that since the founding of the United Nations 70 years ago,
"there have constantly been wars of aggression and interference in the
internal affairs of the states, the ousting of sovereign governments by
force, the so-called 'soft coups' and the recolonization of territories."
He also endorsed the Iran nuclear deal as proof "that engagement and
negotiations are the only effective tools to settle disputes" among
nations. Castro said resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
requires Palestinians' "inalienable right" to build a state within
pre-1967 borders. And he ripped into stakeholders of the bloody Syrian
conflict, demanding that the European Union "take full and immediate
responsibility for the human crisis it helped to generate" by giving
safe haven to refugees.
Castro received sustained applause as he took his seat, and several
Latin American and African leaders gave him a standing ovation, in
apparent approval of his narrative that Western colonialism and
imperialism are at the roots of today's conflicts.
During the morning session of the General Assembly, Obama also mentioned
the new relationship between the United States and Cuba but he was more
upbeat.
"For 50 years, the United States pursued a Cuba policy that failed to
improve the lives of the Cuban people," he said. "We changed that." He
said in "this new era," a country has to "be strong enough to
acknowledge when what you're doing is not working."
While Obama said the United States continues to "have differences with
the Cuban government' and plans to "continue to stand up for human
rights," he said the best way to address such issues is "through
diplomatic relations, and increased commerce, and people-to-people ties."
During his address, Castro also mentioned concern for human rights
violations, but he made it clear that Cuba has a different
interpretation of human rights than the civil and political rights the
United States insists should be respected on the island.
Castro mentioned the right to live in peace and the right to a better
standard of living, citing the 795 million people who do not have enough
to eat, the 781 million who are illiterate and the 17,000 children who
die everyday from curable diseases at the same time annual military
expenses worldwide amount to more than $1.7 trillion.
"Barely a fraction of that figure could resolve the most pressing
problems afflicting humanity," Castro said.
Although Obama didn't indicate how the United States might vote on a
U.N. resolution condemning the U.S. embargo that is expected to come up
next month, he repeated his position that the embargo has outworn its
usefulness. Last year, only two countries, the United States and Israel,
voted against the resolution.
"As these contacts [with Cuba] yield progress, I'm confident that our
Congress will inevitably lift an embargo that should not be in place
anymore," Obama said to applause. "Change won't come overnight to Cuba,
but I'm confident that openness, not coercion, will support the reforms
and better the life the Cuban people deserve, just as I believe that
Cuba will find its success if it pursues cooperation with other nations."
In another Cuba development Monday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny
Pritzker announced she will travel to Havana next Tuesday and Wednesday
to meet with senior Cuban officials and discuss recent U.S. rule changes
on trade, financial transactions and travel designed to make doing
business with Cuba easier. She's the second U.S. cabinet-level official
to visit the island since resumption of diplomatic ties. Secretary of
State John Kerry visited in August.
A number of leaders, including Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, mentioned their satisfaction at the
new relationship between the United States and Cuba.
Rousseff, who by tradition was the first national leader to speak at
Monday's plenary, said the region "welcomes the establishment of
diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, putting an end
to a dispute derived from the Cold War." She said she hoped the
culmination of the process would be the end of the embargo.
Whitefield reported from Miami and Allam from the United Nations.
Source: In U.N. speech, Raúl Castro calls for end of embargo | Miami
Herald -
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article36857637.html
Castro delivers his first speech ever before U.N. General Assembly
He says lifting the embargo and other conditions must be met before
relations are normal
Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker plans trip to Cuba next week
BY MIMI WHITEFIELD
AND HANNAH ALLAM
mwhitefield@miamiherald.com
UNITED NATIONS
Cuban leader Raúl Castro said Monday in his first address ever before
the United Nations General Assembly that a resolution condemning the
United States for the economic "blockade" against the island would
continue to be raised at the international body until the embargo ceases
to exist.
It was the first General Assembly held since the United States and Cuba
restored diplomatic relations on July 20 after a gap of more than 54
years. Castro and President Barack Obama plans to meet on the sidelines
of the U.N. Tuesday.
"Now a long and complex process begins toward normalization," Castro
said during his General Assembly address.
But he repeated previous declarations that true normalization can only
be achieved if these conditions are met: lifting of the embargo — return
of the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay, the end of U.S.-sponsored Radio
and TV Martí broadcasts and other "destabilizing" activities against
Cuba by the U.S. government, and reparations for the Cuban people for
damages caused by the embargo.
Castro noted that since the founding of the United Nations 70 years ago,
"there have constantly been wars of aggression and interference in the
internal affairs of the states, the ousting of sovereign governments by
force, the so-called 'soft coups' and the recolonization of territories."
He also endorsed the Iran nuclear deal as proof "that engagement and
negotiations are the only effective tools to settle disputes" among
nations. Castro said resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
requires Palestinians' "inalienable right" to build a state within
pre-1967 borders. And he ripped into stakeholders of the bloody Syrian
conflict, demanding that the European Union "take full and immediate
responsibility for the human crisis it helped to generate" by giving
safe haven to refugees.
Castro received sustained applause as he took his seat, and several
Latin American and African leaders gave him a standing ovation, in
apparent approval of his narrative that Western colonialism and
imperialism are at the roots of today's conflicts.
During the morning session of the General Assembly, Obama also mentioned
the new relationship between the United States and Cuba but he was more
upbeat.
"For 50 years, the United States pursued a Cuba policy that failed to
improve the lives of the Cuban people," he said. "We changed that." He
said in "this new era," a country has to "be strong enough to
acknowledge when what you're doing is not working."
While Obama said the United States continues to "have differences with
the Cuban government' and plans to "continue to stand up for human
rights," he said the best way to address such issues is "through
diplomatic relations, and increased commerce, and people-to-people ties."
During his address, Castro also mentioned concern for human rights
violations, but he made it clear that Cuba has a different
interpretation of human rights than the civil and political rights the
United States insists should be respected on the island.
Castro mentioned the right to live in peace and the right to a better
standard of living, citing the 795 million people who do not have enough
to eat, the 781 million who are illiterate and the 17,000 children who
die everyday from curable diseases at the same time annual military
expenses worldwide amount to more than $1.7 trillion.
"Barely a fraction of that figure could resolve the most pressing
problems afflicting humanity," Castro said.
Although Obama didn't indicate how the United States might vote on a
U.N. resolution condemning the U.S. embargo that is expected to come up
next month, he repeated his position that the embargo has outworn its
usefulness. Last year, only two countries, the United States and Israel,
voted against the resolution.
"As these contacts [with Cuba] yield progress, I'm confident that our
Congress will inevitably lift an embargo that should not be in place
anymore," Obama said to applause. "Change won't come overnight to Cuba,
but I'm confident that openness, not coercion, will support the reforms
and better the life the Cuban people deserve, just as I believe that
Cuba will find its success if it pursues cooperation with other nations."
In another Cuba development Monday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny
Pritzker announced she will travel to Havana next Tuesday and Wednesday
to meet with senior Cuban officials and discuss recent U.S. rule changes
on trade, financial transactions and travel designed to make doing
business with Cuba easier. She's the second U.S. cabinet-level official
to visit the island since resumption of diplomatic ties. Secretary of
State John Kerry visited in August.
A number of leaders, including Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, mentioned their satisfaction at the
new relationship between the United States and Cuba.
Rousseff, who by tradition was the first national leader to speak at
Monday's plenary, said the region "welcomes the establishment of
diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, putting an end
to a dispute derived from the Cold War." She said she hoped the
culmination of the process would be the end of the embargo.
Whitefield reported from Miami and Allam from the United Nations.
Source: In U.N. speech, Raúl Castro calls for end of embargo | Miami
Herald -
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article36857637.html
Monday, September 28, 2015
Obama Predicts Cuban Embargo Will “Inevitably” Be Lifted
Obama Predicts Cuban Embargo Will "Inevitably" Be Lifted
September 28, 2015 12:07 PM
Share on email
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – President Barack Obama joined leaders from around the
world on Monday, covering controversial topics like Cuba at the United
Nations in New York.
The president arrived under very heavy security and spoke about various
topics including the United States' new relationship with Cuba and where
it should go in the future.
"For 50 years the United States pursued a Cuba policy that failed to
improve the lives of the Cuban people. We changed that," said the
president. "We continue to have differences with the Cuban government.
We will continue to stand up for human rights but we address these
issues through diplomatic relations and increase commerce and people to
people ties."
To cheers, the president predicted Congress would eventually vote to
lift the embargo on the island nation.
"As these contacts yield progress, I am confident that our Congress will
inevitably lift an embargo that should not be in place anymore," said
the president. "Change won't come overnight to Cuba but I'm confident
that openness, not coercion will support the reforms and better the life
the Cuban people deserve."
But not all agree with the president's view.
A Cuban woman who lives in Queens, Ana Martinez, plans to join a group
of Miami protesters on Monday who oppose the plan to lift the embargo
and disagrees with how relations were re-established.
"The have an agenda, okay, they have an agenda," said Martinez. "I don't
know for how many months they do secret negotiation. That's not the
American way."
Cuban leader Raul Castro will also address the assembly later on Monday.
During a speech at the United Nations summit on Saturday, Castro told
the world leaders that re-opening the U.S. Embassy in Cuba was an
important first step forward. He then slammed the U.S. for maintaining
the embargo on his country.
"The economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba persists,
bringing damages and hardships on the Cuban people and standing as the
main obstacle to our country's economic development," said Castro.
The Cuban leader also touched on the treatment of women in other countries.
On Tuesday, Castro will have his first formal meeting with President
Barack Obama.
CBS4's Ted Scouten is in New York and will be reporting on Castro's
address to the UN and his meeting with President Obama.
Source: Obama Predicts Cuban Embargo Will "Inevitably" Be Lifted « CBS
Miami -
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2015/09/28/president-obama-raul-castro-to-address-un/
September 28, 2015 12:07 PM
Share on email
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – President Barack Obama joined leaders from around the
world on Monday, covering controversial topics like Cuba at the United
Nations in New York.
The president arrived under very heavy security and spoke about various
topics including the United States' new relationship with Cuba and where
it should go in the future.
"For 50 years the United States pursued a Cuba policy that failed to
improve the lives of the Cuban people. We changed that," said the
president. "We continue to have differences with the Cuban government.
We will continue to stand up for human rights but we address these
issues through diplomatic relations and increase commerce and people to
people ties."
To cheers, the president predicted Congress would eventually vote to
lift the embargo on the island nation.
"As these contacts yield progress, I am confident that our Congress will
inevitably lift an embargo that should not be in place anymore," said
the president. "Change won't come overnight to Cuba but I'm confident
that openness, not coercion will support the reforms and better the life
the Cuban people deserve."
But not all agree with the president's view.
A Cuban woman who lives in Queens, Ana Martinez, plans to join a group
of Miami protesters on Monday who oppose the plan to lift the embargo
and disagrees with how relations were re-established.
"The have an agenda, okay, they have an agenda," said Martinez. "I don't
know for how many months they do secret negotiation. That's not the
American way."
Cuban leader Raul Castro will also address the assembly later on Monday.
During a speech at the United Nations summit on Saturday, Castro told
the world leaders that re-opening the U.S. Embassy in Cuba was an
important first step forward. He then slammed the U.S. for maintaining
the embargo on his country.
"The economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba persists,
bringing damages and hardships on the Cuban people and standing as the
main obstacle to our country's economic development," said Castro.
The Cuban leader also touched on the treatment of women in other countries.
On Tuesday, Castro will have his first formal meeting with President
Barack Obama.
CBS4's Ted Scouten is in New York and will be reporting on Castro's
address to the UN and his meeting with President Obama.
Source: Obama Predicts Cuban Embargo Will "Inevitably" Be Lifted « CBS
Miami -
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2015/09/28/president-obama-raul-castro-to-address-un/
Justice Before Delivering Forgiveness?
Justice Before Delivering Forgiveness?
Posted on September 28, 2015
Cubanet, Miriam Celaya, Havana, 24 September 2015 — The recent visit to
Cuba of the Bishop of Rome, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, brought a flood of
masses and homilies in several different settings, where, among others,
two words were often heard in the context of the Cuban landscape:
forgiveness and reconciliation. They were all the more curious since
they were not evoked at the same time as those other words to which they
are unavoidably related: offense, confession and repentance.
In this fashion, Francis urged all Cubans, believers or not, to
reconciliation in the abstract and forgiveness of no particular offense,
an exhortation so cryptic and watered-down that it well could have been
uttered anywhere in the world. Who are the offenders and the offended,
what do offenses consist of, whose turn is it to forgive and who will be
the forgiven were matters that were left to each individual to ponder.
The Pope also spoke of "suffering of the poor," of "respect to
differences" and many other similar phrases that can assume conflicting
interpretations according to one's point of view.
In any case, forgiveness and reconciliation have different nuances,
depending whether they stem from theology or from politics. Let us
assume, then, that Francis remained more attached to the first, given
his status as a clergyman, though we must not forget that he is also a
head of State, a politician and a diplomacy maker representing very
particular interests – beyond his good intentions towards the Cuban
people — and with no responsibility at all for solving the serious
problems facing our nation.
In case there is doubt, the Pope had announced himself in advance as
'missionary of mercy', which strips this visit — at least in the obvious
— of any political overtones. It is fair to understand the Supreme
Pontiff's delicate position that aims to sail to a safe harbor. Further
considering his complicated role as mediator between God and Catholics,
and even between rival governments — as has been plainly demonstrated on
issues of the restoration of US-Cuba relations — it could be argued that
he played his role with dignity during his stay in Cuba.
Because of this, anyone who had expected the Pope to give the
dictatorship a scolding, to extend some considerate gesture towards the
dissidence or to adopt a position of outright rejection of the Lords of
the Palace of the Revolution has been greatly disappointed. The Pope
might have done more, but we already know that the ways of God's
ministers on earth are as inscrutable as the Lord's.
However, once we acknowledge the unpredictability of words, the time may
be is right to put them in context and give them the interpretation they
deserve from a closer perspective to mundane issues. Let us try to
reconcile Bergoglio's case against reality, plainly assuming that the
Pontiff might have implied that Cubans should forgive crimes and abuses
inflicted by a dictatorship about to celebrate its 57th healthy
anniversary in power, a regime that has never shown any interest in our
forgiveness, never confessed its countless mortal sins, and remains ever
reluctant to show any repentance.
Should we merely forgive the oppressors, informers and other despicable
humanoid instruments used by the dictatorial power to repress, which
they continued to do even at the very moment when the Pope launched his
message of peace? Is Bergoglio asking of us, without further ado, to
place a veil of piety over victims of the firing squads, over the
innocent dead of the "13 de Marzo" tugboat and over all the crimes
committed by the Cuban dictatorship over more than half century?
He does not have the right to do so.
If we Cubans want to build a healthy and free nation, devoid of the
grudges of an ominous past, if we aspire to the Rule of Law, we must
mention the word justice before pronouncing the word forgiveness. We
must not make the mistake of ignoring and forgetting the pain of
thousands of Cuban families or we will suffer the consequences: revenge,
punishment and resentment. Without justice there will be no harmony,
because it's a well-known fact that ignoring the horrors of the past has
never been a basis for achieving national peace.
Recent history is rich in examples of processes of reconciliation and
forgiveness in different countries. Suffice it to recall typical cases,
such as the Spanish National Reconciliation of 1956, a proposal aimed at
overcoming the schism caused by the Civil War won by Franco; or that of
Chile after the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet; or of South
Africa at the end of the apartheid regime and the creation of the
Commission for Truth and Reconciliation, through which the moral
condemnation of perpetrators of many violent crimes and of multiple
human rights violations was achieved, a process that allowed victims the
opportunity to offer their testimonies and publicly accuse their abusers.
Other examples, perhaps less conspicuous though no less valuable, are
the Commissions of Truth and Reconciliation that were created in Peru to
clarify the acts of violence experienced by the Andean country, victim
of terrorism led by the Shining Path and the Tupamaros groups, and the
military repression from the late 1970's until 2000; or that of El
Salvador, at the end of its bloody civil war, to unravel the human
rights violations that took place in that Central American country
during the conflict.
Perhaps someday we Cubans will have to democratically assume the
responsibility to choose between impunity or condemnation of the
perpetrators for the sake of the reconciliation and reconstruction of
our nation's moral force. Perhaps it will be impossible to fully satisfy
the thirst for justice of all the victims. The moral condemnation of the
perpetrators, at least of those who have not committed bloodshed, might
be preferable for Cuba's spiritual recovery.
If we opt for generosity, a known character trait of our people, as
demonstrated in accepting, at the time, tens of thousands of Spanish
immigrants — including the parent of today's dictators — in the Republic
born after the last war of independence against Spain, harmony will
exceed grudges, and we will prevent the establishment of the new country
over another spiral of hatred and exclusions.
But the patterns of a true national reconciliation will not be dictated
by the speeches of mediators or by the practices of the same victimizing
power. In order for the country to achieve true spiritual recovery and
lasting democracy, Cuba's own people – whose dreams and voice are still
unacknowledged — will need to be the ones to decide to forgive or not
their executioners. For now, the culprits have not shown the slightest
sign of humility or repentance.
Translated by Norma Whiting
Source: Justice Before Delivering Forgiveness? | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/justice-before-delivering-forgiveness/
Posted on September 28, 2015
Cubanet, Miriam Celaya, Havana, 24 September 2015 — The recent visit to
Cuba of the Bishop of Rome, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, brought a flood of
masses and homilies in several different settings, where, among others,
two words were often heard in the context of the Cuban landscape:
forgiveness and reconciliation. They were all the more curious since
they were not evoked at the same time as those other words to which they
are unavoidably related: offense, confession and repentance.
In this fashion, Francis urged all Cubans, believers or not, to
reconciliation in the abstract and forgiveness of no particular offense,
an exhortation so cryptic and watered-down that it well could have been
uttered anywhere in the world. Who are the offenders and the offended,
what do offenses consist of, whose turn is it to forgive and who will be
the forgiven were matters that were left to each individual to ponder.
The Pope also spoke of "suffering of the poor," of "respect to
differences" and many other similar phrases that can assume conflicting
interpretations according to one's point of view.
In any case, forgiveness and reconciliation have different nuances,
depending whether they stem from theology or from politics. Let us
assume, then, that Francis remained more attached to the first, given
his status as a clergyman, though we must not forget that he is also a
head of State, a politician and a diplomacy maker representing very
particular interests – beyond his good intentions towards the Cuban
people — and with no responsibility at all for solving the serious
problems facing our nation.
In case there is doubt, the Pope had announced himself in advance as
'missionary of mercy', which strips this visit — at least in the obvious
— of any political overtones. It is fair to understand the Supreme
Pontiff's delicate position that aims to sail to a safe harbor. Further
considering his complicated role as mediator between God and Catholics,
and even between rival governments — as has been plainly demonstrated on
issues of the restoration of US-Cuba relations — it could be argued that
he played his role with dignity during his stay in Cuba.
Because of this, anyone who had expected the Pope to give the
dictatorship a scolding, to extend some considerate gesture towards the
dissidence or to adopt a position of outright rejection of the Lords of
the Palace of the Revolution has been greatly disappointed. The Pope
might have done more, but we already know that the ways of God's
ministers on earth are as inscrutable as the Lord's.
However, once we acknowledge the unpredictability of words, the time may
be is right to put them in context and give them the interpretation they
deserve from a closer perspective to mundane issues. Let us try to
reconcile Bergoglio's case against reality, plainly assuming that the
Pontiff might have implied that Cubans should forgive crimes and abuses
inflicted by a dictatorship about to celebrate its 57th healthy
anniversary in power, a regime that has never shown any interest in our
forgiveness, never confessed its countless mortal sins, and remains ever
reluctant to show any repentance.
Should we merely forgive the oppressors, informers and other despicable
humanoid instruments used by the dictatorial power to repress, which
they continued to do even at the very moment when the Pope launched his
message of peace? Is Bergoglio asking of us, without further ado, to
place a veil of piety over victims of the firing squads, over the
innocent dead of the "13 de Marzo" tugboat and over all the crimes
committed by the Cuban dictatorship over more than half century?
He does not have the right to do so.
If we Cubans want to build a healthy and free nation, devoid of the
grudges of an ominous past, if we aspire to the Rule of Law, we must
mention the word justice before pronouncing the word forgiveness. We
must not make the mistake of ignoring and forgetting the pain of
thousands of Cuban families or we will suffer the consequences: revenge,
punishment and resentment. Without justice there will be no harmony,
because it's a well-known fact that ignoring the horrors of the past has
never been a basis for achieving national peace.
Recent history is rich in examples of processes of reconciliation and
forgiveness in different countries. Suffice it to recall typical cases,
such as the Spanish National Reconciliation of 1956, a proposal aimed at
overcoming the schism caused by the Civil War won by Franco; or that of
Chile after the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet; or of South
Africa at the end of the apartheid regime and the creation of the
Commission for Truth and Reconciliation, through which the moral
condemnation of perpetrators of many violent crimes and of multiple
human rights violations was achieved, a process that allowed victims the
opportunity to offer their testimonies and publicly accuse their abusers.
Other examples, perhaps less conspicuous though no less valuable, are
the Commissions of Truth and Reconciliation that were created in Peru to
clarify the acts of violence experienced by the Andean country, victim
of terrorism led by the Shining Path and the Tupamaros groups, and the
military repression from the late 1970's until 2000; or that of El
Salvador, at the end of its bloody civil war, to unravel the human
rights violations that took place in that Central American country
during the conflict.
Perhaps someday we Cubans will have to democratically assume the
responsibility to choose between impunity or condemnation of the
perpetrators for the sake of the reconciliation and reconstruction of
our nation's moral force. Perhaps it will be impossible to fully satisfy
the thirst for justice of all the victims. The moral condemnation of the
perpetrators, at least of those who have not committed bloodshed, might
be preferable for Cuba's spiritual recovery.
If we opt for generosity, a known character trait of our people, as
demonstrated in accepting, at the time, tens of thousands of Spanish
immigrants — including the parent of today's dictators — in the Republic
born after the last war of independence against Spain, harmony will
exceed grudges, and we will prevent the establishment of the new country
over another spiral of hatred and exclusions.
But the patterns of a true national reconciliation will not be dictated
by the speeches of mediators or by the practices of the same victimizing
power. In order for the country to achieve true spiritual recovery and
lasting democracy, Cuba's own people – whose dreams and voice are still
unacknowledged — will need to be the ones to decide to forgive or not
their executioners. For now, the culprits have not shown the slightest
sign of humility or repentance.
Translated by Norma Whiting
Source: Justice Before Delivering Forgiveness? | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/justice-before-delivering-forgiveness/
United Yacht Transport Looks Into Still Water's Voyage Into Cuban Water
United Yacht Transport Looks Into Still Water's Voyage Into Cuban Water
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- With the
opening up of Cuba's waters, the first U.S. Charter Yacht made its
voyage to the country last month. United Yacht Transport, the North
American leader in boat transport, takes a look into the expedition and
its impact on the yachting community.
Superyacht Numarine 78 Flybridge M/Y Still Water was the first American
charter yacht to sail into the waters of Cuba. The last time this was
legal was in the early 1960's, prior to the trade embargo being imposed.
Still Water cruised into the Marina Hemingway in Havana loaded with 15
people, including both crew and passengers.
The entire process to be granted the ability to carry out this voyage
still took approximately 7 months. The trip, however, only took about 4
hours to travel from Key West, Florida to Cuba. It is anticipated that
being granted permission for Cuban voyages may be facilitated now that
the U.S. Embassy officially opened in Havana on August 14th.
The opening up of Cuba's waters provides more travel opportunities for
yachters, which leads to more business for yacht transport companies.
There is an anticipated rise in transports to Cuba in the coming years,
and travelers can look forward to experiencing a beautiful country that
is rich in history and culture.
United Yacht Transport is the premier worldwide yacht transporter and
offers cost effective yacht transport and boat shipping services. United
Yacht Transport ships worldwide to Mexico, the Caribbean, the Middle
East, Asia and the Mediterranean. As the North American leader in yacht
transportation, United Yacht Transport prides itself on reliability,
safe transport, and unparalleled customer service.
Media Contact: Paul Haber, United Yacht Transport, 954-417-3658,
paul@united-yacht.com
Source: United Yacht Transport Looks Into Still Water's Voyage Into
Cuban Waters - Yahoo Finance -
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/united-yacht-transport-looks-still-120500923.html
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- With the
opening up of Cuba's waters, the first U.S. Charter Yacht made its
voyage to the country last month. United Yacht Transport, the North
American leader in boat transport, takes a look into the expedition and
its impact on the yachting community.
Superyacht Numarine 78 Flybridge M/Y Still Water was the first American
charter yacht to sail into the waters of Cuba. The last time this was
legal was in the early 1960's, prior to the trade embargo being imposed.
Still Water cruised into the Marina Hemingway in Havana loaded with 15
people, including both crew and passengers.
The entire process to be granted the ability to carry out this voyage
still took approximately 7 months. The trip, however, only took about 4
hours to travel from Key West, Florida to Cuba. It is anticipated that
being granted permission for Cuban voyages may be facilitated now that
the U.S. Embassy officially opened in Havana on August 14th.
The opening up of Cuba's waters provides more travel opportunities for
yachters, which leads to more business for yacht transport companies.
There is an anticipated rise in transports to Cuba in the coming years,
and travelers can look forward to experiencing a beautiful country that
is rich in history and culture.
United Yacht Transport is the premier worldwide yacht transporter and
offers cost effective yacht transport and boat shipping services. United
Yacht Transport ships worldwide to Mexico, the Caribbean, the Middle
East, Asia and the Mediterranean. As the North American leader in yacht
transportation, United Yacht Transport prides itself on reliability,
safe transport, and unparalleled customer service.
Media Contact: Paul Haber, United Yacht Transport, 954-417-3658,
paul@united-yacht.com
Source: United Yacht Transport Looks Into Still Water's Voyage Into
Cuban Waters - Yahoo Finance -
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/united-yacht-transport-looks-still-120500923.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
