Sen. Rubio to Kerry: Cuba Harbors Terrorists Who Have Killed Americans

capitolhillcubans

In a letter today, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, urged Secretary of State John Kerry to not recommend the removal of Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism List.

Below is the letter:

March 5, 2015

The Honorable John Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20220
Dear Secretary Kerry,

I am greatly disturbed by recent media reports that you are considering recommending to the President that he de-list Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism List (SSTL). I believe that there should be no consideration of such a step while Cuba still harbors fugitives labeled “terrorists” by the FBI, provides support and safe harbor to members of terrorist groups like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) and continues to flout international norms with respect to weapons smuggling and an ongoing relationship with North Korea.

Cuba continues to provide a safe haven for convicted terrorists like William Morales, a Fuerzas Armadas de Liberacion Nacional Puertorriquena (FALN) bomb maker who was implicated in a string of bombings in the United States in the late 1970s that resulted in the deaths of four Americans. Morales escaped U.S. custody after his initial imprisonment and has apparently been provided safe harbor by the government of Cuba since the 1980s. Morales is just one of many fugitives who have left a wake of murders and bereaved families in their path, while many others have committed fraudulent acts against hard-working Americans. Another prominent case is that of convicted cop killer Joanne Chesimard, who remains on the FBIs Most Wanted list and has been openly harbored by the Castro regime, which again this week vowed never to return her to the United States.              

Cuba also provides support to ETA by refusing to extradite terrorists Angel Urtiaga and Jose Ignacio Etxarte. They have been wanted since 2010 in a probe into alleged links between Venezuela, ETA and the Colombian rebel group FARC. Last week, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo stated that Spain would like the United States to have these terrorists extradited to Spain as part of any talks regarding removing Cuba from the SSTL.

The United States cannot in good faith remove Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism List while the Castro regime harbors terrorists who have killed Americans, actively supports designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations by harboring their members and continues to flout international law through clandestine weapon transfers with a rogue regime like North Korea.

Sincerely,

Marco Rubio
United States Senator

Kerry Speaks about Gross and Cuba

Rubio to Kerry: U.S. Must Defend Summit's Democracy Clause

capitolhillcubans

October 21, 2014

The Honorable John Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Kerry:

With the Seventh Summit of the Americas quickly approaching, I am deeply concerned that the Administration has sent mixed messages to the Panamanian government regarding the participation of undemocratic countries. During the 2001 Summit in Quebec City, the United States made a formal commitment that a democratic system is an “essential condition of our presence at this and future Summits”. Thus, as a non-democracy, Cuba should remain excluded from the Summit.

Just last month, State Department spokesperson, Jen Psaki, stated: “[O]ur view is that at the 2001 Summit of the Americas, all participating governments agreed to consensus that ‘The maintenance and strengthening of the rule of law and strict respect for the democratic system are at the same time a goal and a shared commitment and are an essential condition of our presence at this and future summits.’ So we should not undermine commitments previously made, but should instead encourage – and this is certainly our effort – the democratic changes necessary for Cuba to meet the basic qualifications.”

Then, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Roberta Jacobson, emphasized: “I think we have made clear that we believe the Summit process is committed to democratic governance and we think that the governments that are sitting at that table ought to be committed to the Summit principles, which include democratic governance.”

Those words will stand hollow if our country fails to stand by these principles. Furthermore, allowing a country that is a habitual violator of human rights and has not allowed a free election in over 50 years would damage everything that the Summit wishes to accomplish. Cuba should not be allowed to undermine the commitment to democracy made by the remaining nations of the Western Hemisphere during the Summit process.  Moreover, the United States should not stand idly by if Panama does indeed intend to invite Cuba to the Summit.

Unfortunately, that seems to be precisely the mixed message sent recently by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, John Feeley, who told the Panamanian media that "it’s not so important the guests at the table but the meal that’s served."

I urge you to reaffirm the United States’ position that Cuba should only be welcome to participate in the Summit when the Castro regime abandons its repression of the island’s population and to ensure that the nations of the Western Hemisphere are left with no doubt that the United States will stand firmly behind the formal commitment it made at the Quebec Summit.

Sincerely,

Marco Rubio
United States Senator

Edward Snowden Admits He Was Trying to Reach Cuba

capitolhillcubans

From Secretary of State John Kerry's interview this morning with Savannah Guthrie of NBC's Today Show:

QUESTION: I want to talk to you about the drawdown in Afghanistan that the President announced yesterday, but let’s start with these remarks from Mr. Snowden, and actually, we have a new piece of that interview to play for you this morning. And in it, he basically lays the blame that he is in Russia right now squarely on the United States. Take a look.

QUESTION: What are you doing in Russia?

MR. SNOWDEN: All right. So this is a really fair concern. I personally am surprised that I ended up here. The reality is I never intended to end up in Russia. I had a flight booked to Cuba, onwards to Latin America, and I was stopped because the United States Government decided to revoke my passport and trap me in Moscow Airport. So when people ask, why are you in Russia, I say, please, ask the State Department.

QUESTION: Well, Mr. Secretary, what about it? Does he have a point? He’s basically saying but for the U.S. State Department revoking his passport, he wouldn’t be in Russia at all.

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, for a supposedly smart guy, that’s a pretty dumb answer, frankly. Look, I’m not going to get into the – who he was, what he was. Let me just say this: If Mr. Snowden wants to come back to the United States today, we’ll have him on a flight today. We’d be delighted for him to come back. And he should come back, and that’s what a patriot would do. A patriot would not run away and look for refuge in Russia or Cuba or some other country. A patriot would stand up in the United States and make his case to the American people. But he’s refused to do that to this date, at least.

The fact is that he can come home, but he’s a fugitive from justice, which is why he’s not being permitted to fly around the world. It’s that simple and he knows it.

QUESTION: Have you softened your stance at all with regard to his alleged conduct here? I noticed earlier this year you said that there were disclosures about the NSA made because of Snowden that you yourself were not aware of that constituted NSA overreach. Does that change the calculus at all for you?

SECRETARY KERRY: That’s entirely up to the justice system. Let him come back and make his case. The fact is that he should – if he cares so much about America and he believes in America, he should trust in the American system of justice. But to be hiding in Russia, an authoritarian country, and to have just admitted that he was really trying to get to Cuba, I mean, what does that tell you, really? I think he’s confused. I think it’s very sad.

But this is a man who has done great damage to his country, violated his oath which he took when he became an employee, and yes, in fact, stole an enormous amount of information and released it to the public, to the detriment of his country.

Rubio Seeks Answers From Kerry On Venezuela, Cuba

SenatorMarcoRubio

Diaz-Balart challenges Secretary of State John Kerry on Cuba, Venezuela

MarioDiazBalart

 

El secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, John Kerry, afirmó que una de sus prioridades es lograr la liberación del estadounidense Alan Gross, encarcelado en Cuba desde 2009, y que no ve razones para endurecer la política hacia el régimen comunista pese a los graves problemas que enfrentan los disidentes.

Kerry se refirió a estos temas durante una audiencia este miércoles en el Comité de Gastos de la Cámara de Representantes, en respuesta a preguntas del congresista republicano de origen cubano, Mario Díaz-Balart.

Kerry explicó que ha tenido repetidas reuniones, particularmente en los últimos meses, sobre el caso Gross. Luego comentó que no va a entrar en detalles, pero que está centrado en un par de posibilidades con el fin de facilitar su libertad.

También recalcó que Alan Gross está mal de salud y encarcelado injustamente.

Acerca de la política de Estados Unidos hacia Cuba, Kerry subrayó que se hacen cosas útiles, como las remesas, las visitas familiares y los otros tipos de intercambios familiares.

No obstante, admitió que hay graves problemas sobre cómo el Gobierno comunista de Cuba trata a su propio pueblo.

U.S. Secretary Of State Hints That Israel May Face Boycotts If It Does Not Reach A Peace Deal With The Palestinians

War News Updates

JERUSALEM — As U.S. mediated Middle East peace talks enter their seventh month, mounting tensions have emerged between Israel and Washington.

Israeli officials are furious after Secretary of State John Kerry warned that if peace talks with the Palestinians fail, Israel could face growing international boycotts. Kerry was speaking at a security conference in Munich.

“You see for Israel there is an increasing deligitimization campaign that has been building up. People are very sensitive to it," said Kerry. "There are talk of boycotts and other kinds of things. Are we all going to better with all of that?”

Read more ....

More News On Reaction To Comments By U.S. Secretary Of State Kerry that Israel May Face Boycotts If It Does Not Reach A Peace Deal With The Palestinians

Israeli leaders cry foul over Kerry’s boycott warning -- Washington Post
Israeli minister attacks Kerry over boycott warnings -- Reuters
John Kerry labelled 'anti Semite' for warning of possible boycott of Israel -- The Telegraph
Netanyahu Criticizes Kerry Over Boycott Remarks -- New York Times
US, Israel in spat over Kerry's 'boycott' remarks -- France 24
Israeli premier brushes off Kerry boycott warning -- Washington Post/AP
U.S. responds to Israeli criticism: Don't misrepresent Kerry's remarks -- Haaretz
US warns Israel over apparent distortion of John Kerry statements -- The Guardian

My Comment: A poor choice of words from the U.S. Secretary. But the Israelis are not the only ones who are upset with John Kerry .... apparently the Palestinians now want Kerry be prosecuted by the ICC for 'threatening' Abbas.

IsraelNationalTV 

Kerry asks Vatican to help win release of American jailed in Cuba

why he doesn't directly confront castro?
---------------------- 

Warren Strobel Reuters

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday asked the Vatican to help win the release of an American contractor who has been in jail in Cuba since 2009.

Kerry, the first Catholic U.S. secretary of state in more than 30 years, stopped at the Vatican on his way to Kuwait to hold talks with Pope Francis' top aide, Secretary of State Archbishop Pietro Parolin.

The talks mostly centered on the Middle East and efforts to bring an end to the Syrian civil war ahead of a peace conference in Geneva later this month.

"We talked also about Cuba and the need for respect for freedom of religion and freedom of, and respect for, human rights," Kerry told reporters after the meeting.

"I raised the issue of Alan Gross and his captivity, and we hope very much that there might be able to be assistance with respect to that issue," he said.

Gross was sentenced to 15 years in prison for installing Internet networks for Cuban Jews in a U.S. program Cuba considers subversive.

His arrest in late 2009 and sentencing in March 2011 stalled a brief period of detente in U.S.-Cuba relations after President Barack Obama took office and quickly loosened restrictions on travel and remittances to the island for Cuban Americans with relatives in Communist-run Cuba.

The Vatican has relatively good diplomatic relations with Cuba. Former Pope Benedict and the late Pope John Paul both made major visits there.

The position held by Parolin, who will be elevated to the rank of cardinal next month, is the second most senior in the Vatican hierarchy after the pope and its holder is sometimes called the "deputy pope".

More on chicagotribune >>

’Messianic’ John Kerry should ’leave us alone,’ Israel’s defense minister says

worldnews

By Paul Goldman and Henry Austin, NBC News

TEL AVIV, Israel -- Secretary of State John Kerry was branded “messianic” by Israel's defense minister in a newspaper interview just days before he is due to visit the country.

Moshe Yaalon was quoted by Yediot Aharonot newspaper on Tuesday as saying that the only thing that could "save" Israel was for Kerry to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and "leave us alone."

“Secretary of State John Kerry came here very determined and operates based upon an unfathomable obsession and a messianic feeling,” Yaalon was quoted as saying. “Throughout the recent months, there is no negotiation between us and the Palestinians, but rather, between us and the Americans. The only thing that can 'save' us is that John Kerry will get a Nobel Peace Prize and leave us alone.”

Abir Sultan / Associated Press

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon suggested that John Kerry should "leave us alone."

The United States is seeking to broker an agreement on a "two-state solution" in which Israel would exist peacefully alongside a new Palestinian state. Kerry wants the sides to agree to a framework for an interim accord ahead of a deal in April, which would launch another year of talks aimed at a full-blown peace treaty. 

A framework would touch on all the main issues, including security, the future of Jerusalem and the fate of refugees. 

The Palestinians see the Jewish settlements as an obstacle to achieving a viable state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Most countries consider Israel's settlements there illegal.

Yaalon also told Yediot Aharonot that the latest U.S. peace plan for the region was “not worth the paper it was written on” because it contained “neither security nor peace.”   

"I live and breathe the conflict with the Palestinians,” he said. "I know what they think, what they want and what they really mean."

Kerry is expected to return to Israel within days as part of his peace push.

Intelligence and Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz told Israel Army Radio that he agreed with the contents of Yaalon's interview, but added that despite disagreements there was no need to resort to personal insults.

Legisladores cubanoamericanos piden a Kerry que impida la entrada a EEUU de Arnaldo y su Talismán

Diario de Cuba

El "caucus" cubanoamericano del Congreso de Estados Unidos pidió este jueves al Departamento de Estado que niegue la visa al músico cubano Arnaldo Rodríguez, líder de la orquesta Arnaldo y su Talismán, uno de los participantes en los actos represivos de los últimos días en la Isla.

El salsero dijo en una entrevista que tiene prevista una gira por Estados Unidos. Recientemente estuvo en Canadá.

Los congresistas Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), Albio Sires (D-NJ) y Joe García (D-FL) invocaron la proclamación presidencial que impide entrar a Estados Unidos a extranjeros que participen en violaciones de derechos humanos.

La carta, dirigida al secretario de Estado John Kerry, cita la información dada a conocer por DIARIO DE CUBA, el miércoles, sobre Arnaldo Rodríguez.

"Espantosamente, estos abusadores de derechos humanos reclaman viajar a Estados Unidos como parte de un 'intercambio cultural'", denuncia la misiva.

La proclamación presidencial, firmada por Barack Obama el 4 de agosto de 2011, se basa en el "compromiso de Estados Unidos con el respeto de los derechos humanos".

"El derecho humanitario exige que el Gobierno sea capaz de asegurar que Estados Unidos no se convierta en refugio seguro de graves violadores de derechos humanos y quienes se dedican a otros abusos relacionados", dice el documento.

La orquesta Arnaldo y su Talismán animó el acto de repudio frente a la sede de Estado de Sats el miércoles. También participó el cantautor Diego Gutiérrez, entre otros artistas que no pudieron ser identificados inmediatamente.

Este jueves, Washington deploró la detención de los disidentes que debían participar en actividades por el Día de los Derechos Humanos en la Isla, informa AFP.

"Deploramos las duras tácticas del gobierno cubano para impedir el reconocimiento pacífico al Día de los Derechos Humanos de la sociedad civil cubana", dijo en un comunicado la portavoz adjunta del Departamento de Estado, Marie Harf.

"Estados Unidos aspira al día en que cada cubano, sin importar su opinión política, pueda expresarse libremente sin miedo de hostigamiento o violencia física de su gobierno", agregó.

EEUU condena represión en Cuba en el día de los DDHH

marti noticias

http://www.martinoticias.com/media/video/30163.html
El Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos emitió este jueves un comunicado en el que rechaza las “duras prácticas del gobierno cubano para impedir que la sociedad civil cubana realizara su reconocimiento al Día de los Derechos Humanos.

“El 10 y 11 de diciembre, las autoridades cubanas detuvieron violentamente a decenas de académicos cubanos independientes, periodistas y representantes de la sociedad civil, incluidas las Damas de Blanco y activistas de la Unión Patriótica de Cuba”.

La nota de prensa firmada por Marie Harf, portavoz del Departamento de Estado, recalca que Estados Unidos espera con interés “el día en que todos los cubanos, independientemente de la opinión política, pueda expresarse libremente y sin temor a sufrir hostigamiento o violencia física por parte de su gobierno”.

Arnaldo y su Talismán en el asedio a los activistas de Estado de Sats

Por otra parte, los congresistas cubanoamericanos Mario Díaz Balart, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Albio Sires y Joe García, pidieron al Departamento de Estado que impida la entrada a Estados Unidos de artistas como Arnaldo y su Talismán, que han participado en actos de represión contra los activistas y opositores cubanos.

Arnaldo estuvo entre los músicos que alentaron el asedio contra los activistas del Encuentro Internacional de Derechos Humanos. También ha revelado que planea viajar a Estados Unidos como parte de un intercambio cultural.

“La Administración de Obama no debe permitir que estos cómplices de la dictadura asesina de Castro entren en los Estados Unidos”, indicó Díaz-Balart en la petición, basada en una proclama del presidente Obama mediante la cual se ordena la “Suspensión de Entrada como inmigrantes y no inmigrantes de las personas que participan en violaciones de los derechos humanos, del derecho Humanitario y otros abusos".

http://www.martinoticias.com/media/photogallery/30180.html

Capitol Hill: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen on Obama-Raul Castro handshake

Video from Lord Rothschild

Transcript from  Democracy Now!

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: We turn now to the historic moment Tuesday when President Barack Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raúl Castro as both men participated in the memorial service for anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela in South Africa. The White House said the handshake was unscripted. It marked the first time a U.S. president has shaken hands with a Cuban leader since 2000. In Washington, Republicans expressed outrage over the exchange. During a hearing in the House, Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida sparred with Secretary of State John Kerry, who said it did not represent any change in U.S. policy toward Cuba.

REP. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN: Mr. Secretary, sometimes a handshake is just a handshake. But when the leader of the free world shakes the bloody hand of a ruthless dictator like Raúl Castro, it becomes a propaganda coup for the tyrant. Raúl Castro uses that hand to sign the orders to repress and jail democracy advocates. In fact, right now, as we speak, Cuban opposition leaders are being detained, and they’re being beaten while trying to commemorate today, which is International Human Rights Day. They will feel disheartened when they see these photos. Could you please tell the Cuban people living under that repressive regime that a handshake nonwithstanding, the U.S. policy toward the cruel and sadistic Cuban dictatorship has not weakened? Thank you.

SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY: Ladies and gentlemen, today is about honoring Nelson Mandela. And the president is at an international funeral with leaders from all over the world. He didn’t choose who’s there. They’re there to honor Mandela. And we appreciate that people from all over the world and from all different beliefs and walks of life who appreciated Nelson Mandela and/or were friends of his came to honor him. And I think, as the president said—I urge you to go read his speech, or if you didn’t see it or haven’t read it, because the president said in his speech today honoring Nelson Mandela, he said, "We urge leaders to honor Mandela’s struggle for freedom by upholding the basic human rights of their people"—

REP. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN: And would you say Raúl Castro is upholding their basic human rights?

SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY: No, absolutely not.

Kerry: U.S. is “Currently Engaged” in Talks to Free Alan Gross

cubaconfidential

By Chris Simmons

By Juan O. Tamayo, JTamayo@ElNuevoHerald.com

The Obama administration is “currently engaged” in behind-the-scenes discussions to win the release of U.S. government subcontractor Alan Gross, jailed in Cuba for the past four years, according to Secretary of State John Kerry.

Kerry, who engaged in another secret effort to free Gross in 2010, made the largely unnoticed remarks Tuesday at a news conference in NATO headquarters in Belgium, after he was asked about U.S. citizens detained in Cuba, Iran and North Korea.

“In the case of Mr. Gross, we’ve had any number of initiatives and outreaches over the last several years and engagement with a number of different individuals who have traveled to Cuba, met with people individually there and elsewhere,” Kerry said.

“And we are currently engaged in some discussions regarding that, which I’m not at liberty to go into in any kind of detail,” he added, declining further comment on a case that has become the key roadblock to improved U.S.-Cuba relations.

“With respect to the number of American citizens who are being held in different places …we have been engaged behind the scenes — which is often the way these issues are best managed — in every single case in order to try to secure the safety of those people, and in order ultimately to be able to secure their release,” he said.

“The bottom line is that we have raised these issues not just in Korea — North Korea, not just in Cuba, but also with respect to a number of Americans who are held in Iran,” he concluded. “And I have personally raised those names and those individuals with my counterpart as well as in other ways. And we are hopeful that in each case, at some point we will be able to win their freedom and have them rejoined with their families.”

The State Department did not immediately reply to El Nuevo Herald request for an explanation of the secretary’s remarks.

Kerry did not identify the other party or parties in the “discussions” to free Gross, 64, a Maryland development specialist man serving a 15-yerar prison sentence in Havana for delivering sophisticated communications equipment to Cuban Jews.

He was convicted of endangering the island’s national security because the equipment was paid for by the U.S. Agency for International Development as part of a pro-democracy program. The Cuban government regards the USAID programs as part of an effort to undermine and even topple its communist system.

Feature continues here: Kerry: U.S. is “currently engaged” in talks to free Alan Gross

Behind the Scenes of the Geneva Accord with Iran

theinnoplex

baroness ashton and kerry

..Not only in Israel, but among Arab allies of the U.S., the belief that America is no longer a reliable partner in the Middle East is gaining momentum. After the failures of American plans in Iraq and Afghanistan, the countries of the region have reason to doubt the ability of the U.S. to guarantee a predictable outcome in the Middle East. Now it is unclear how the situation in Egypt will play out, what awaits the region in connection with the nascent revival of relations between America and Iran, how...

read more >>

Documentos: Dos señales recientes sobre la política de Washington hacia Cuba

Café Fuerte

Por Wilfredo Cancio Isla

Con apenas 10 días de diferencia, el presidente Barack Obama y el Secretario de Estado John Kerry han abordado la política de Washington hacia Cuba insistiendo ambos en la necesidad de actualizar y perfilar de manera más creativa una estrategia implementada hace cinco décadas y que, inevitablemente, necesita ajustes a tono con los tiempos actuales.

La política generalmente expone en público solamente la punta del iceberg y suele guardar sus movidas más trascendentales en “la parte que no se ve”. No tengo la certeza de que vayamos a ver decisiones espectaculares sobre el tema en una fecha inmediata, pero es curioso observar una moderación de lenguaje y un posicionamiento de la Casa Blanca respecto a las transformaciones -tímidas, pero transformaciones al fin- que están ocurriendo en Cuba a raíz de hechos como la proliferación del trabajo por cuenta propia y la flexibilización de las salidas al exterior,

En apenas cinco años, desde la llegada de Obama a la Casa Blanca, más de 100 mil cubanos han recibido visas para visitar Estados Unidos por motivos familiares y por intercambios culturales, educativos o religiosos. A partir de este año, el Departamento de Estado anunció el otorgamiento de las visas por cinco años para visitas familiares como parte de una “normalización” del trato a los solicitantes cubanos.

Más contactos

A la vez, en los discursos de Obama y Kerry se reafirman las decisiones  en cuanto a la liberación de los viajes y remesas familiares hacia la isla, desde el 2009, y el incremento de los viajes de estadounidenses y de los llamados contactos “pueblo a pueblo”, desde el 2011.

En el año que concluye se reanudaron las charlas migratorias y prosiguieron las conversaciones sobre el restablecimiento del correo postal directo entre ambos países. Es evidente también que se han relajado las restricciones para la circulación de diplomáticos estadounidenses y cubanos fuera de sus respectivas misiones.

Entre la intervención de Obama en un acto de recaudación y el discurso de Kerry en la OEA, una delegación oficial cubana -encabezada por dos diplomáticos- estuvo en las ciudades de St. Petersburg y Tampa participando de una reunión para fijar un acuerdo de cooperación regional de prevención de derrames petroleros. El encuentro reunió a funcionarios de las principales agencias estadounidenses.

La relación entablada entre los cubanos y estadounidenses que asistieron a la reunión fue de pleno entendimiento y voluntad de cooperación, y el acuerdo quedó listo para ser firmado por ambas partes, según fuentes que participaron en el evento. Curiosamente, la Oficina de Control de Bienes Extranjeros (OFAC) del Departamento del Tesoro no puso objeción al pago de hoteles y viáticos para los invitados cubanos, en un foro que contó con el patrocinio de compañías petroleras.

Silencio sobre Gross

En ninguno de los dos discursos -que reproducimos a continuación en sus fragmentos de referencia a Cuba-, Obama ni Kerry hicieron mención al caso del contratista Alan Gross, condenado a 15 años de cárcel, quien como sabemos es la piedra interpuesta para avanzar en el mejoramiento de las relaciones bilaterales. La recomendación del senador Patrjck Leahy cuando visitó febrero La Habana es que el caso de Gross se negociara de “una forma discreta”, una sugerencia que al parecer no ha pasado inadvertida para Washington.

A comienzos de julio, el gobierno cubano permitió que un equipo médico independiente visitara a Gross en La Habana, información que no tuvo divulgación en la prensa estadounidense. La propia familia Gross ha mantenido desde entonces el caso en bajo perfil, incluso en  vísperas de cumplirse el cuarto aniversario del arresto del contratista, ocurrido el 3 de diciembre del 2009.

Son algunas señales para registrar en la evolución del diferendo Washington-La Habana durante el año que termina. No hay que sacar conclusiones apresuradas. El embargo está en pie y parece inamovible por ahora. Pero el mapa de las relaciones políticas y sociales entre ambas partes comienza a dibujarse desde otra retórica.

PALABRAS DEL PRESIDENTE OBAMA EN UNA RECEPCION PRIVADA PARA RECAUDACION DE FONDOS DEL PARTIDO DEMOCRATA EN MIAMI

Residencia del empresario Jorge Mas Santos, Pinecrest, 8 de noviembre del 2013

Wow, si Jorge [Mas Santos] no era tan bueno en los negocios, tal vez tendríamos que proponerlo para algo (RISAS) -porque yo me inspiré solo escuchándolo a él. Para Jorge y Aleyda y toda la familia Mas, muchas gracias por la increíble hospitalidad en este hermoso lugar, y para todos los que están aquí.

Todo lo que Jorge dijo es cierto y lo recuerdo como si fuera ayer, aunque observamos que los dos hemos vuelto un poco más canosos desde la primera vez que nos conocimos. (RISAS) Cuando conocí a Jorge, yo era obviamente el candidato menos favorecido en la carrera por la presidencia. Y yo había tomado un profundo interés en la Florida y en la política cubana . Pero la verdad es que no había tenido ocasión de hascer mucha campaña en Florida, con la excepción de asegurar que la Florida reeligiera a uno de los mejores senadores que tenemos en este país, Bill Nelson, quien está aquí esta noche. (APLAUSOS)

Pero una de las cosas en que estaba confiado era mi trayectoria y la preocupación por los temas de la libertad, la democracia, la sociedad civil, mi propia experiencia como organizador de base de que las políticas que Estados Unidos buscaba serían los que se centrarían en la idea de la libertad, y cómo construir esta plataforma desde abajo hacia arriba. Y Jorge inmediatamente fue capaz de compartir conmigo su visión y sus ideas. Y, como consecuencia, estuvimos en una posición que creo marcaron cambios que empoderaron, que abrieron la posibilidad de una mayor penetración y contacto de las familias cubanas aquí mediante las remesas y los viajes.

Y hemos comenzado a ver cambios en la isla. Ahora, creo que todos entendemos que, en definitiva, la libertad en Cuba vendrá gracias a activistas extraordinarios y a la increíble valentía de gente como la que hoy vemos hoy . Pero Estados Unidos puede ayudar . Y tenemos que ser creativos. Y tenemos que ser más cuidadosos . Y tenemos que seguir actualizando nuestras políticas. Tengan en cuenta que cuando Castro llegó al poder, yo acababa de nacer. Así que la idea de que las mismas políticas que pusimos en marcha en 1961 pueden ser todavía, de alguna manera, tan eficaces hoy en la era de internet y de Google y de viajes mundiales, no tiene sentido.

Y creo que en parte, porque pertenecemos a la misma generación, somos conscientes de que los objetivos siempre van a ser los mismos. Y lo que tenemos que hacer es encontrar continuamente nuevos mecanismos y nuevas herramientas para hablar en nombre de los temas que nos importan de una forma tan profunda.

Ahora bien, como mencionó Jorge, él es también un gran hombre de negocios. Y su familia tiene una gran tradición en los negocios en este país. Y el sector de la energía es uno que es una enorme ventaja para Estados Unidos . Estamos empezando a ver cambios en la geopolítica, en parte, debido a la increíble producción de ambas fuentes de energía, las tradicionales y las nuevas. Es interesante. Yo tuve una reunión con los líderes de América Central cuando estuve en Costa Rica. Y lo único que quería era hablar más sobre la energía y cómo Estados Unidos podría ayudarles en sus costos de energía. Y eso nos da una idea de cómo este tipo de políticas públicas inteligentes comnbinadas con la acción de destacados empresarios y líderes de negocios como Jorge puede hacer una enorme diferencia en nuestra posición en el mundo a largo plazo.

Ahora, desearía decir que Washington siempre procede sobre la base del sentido común. Pero Washington es un lugar político. Y lo que hemos visto en los últimos años es un trinquete constante de partidismo que nos impide avanzar en las cosas que creo que la mayoría de la gente le gustaría decir que no son ideas demócratas ni republicanas. No son más que buenas ideas americanas, de sentido común. La independencia energética es uno de ellas -asegurándonos de que estamos invirtiendo en las mejores escuelas para que nuestros niños puedan competir en la nueva economía mundial; la reconstrucción de nuestra infraestructura, no sólo de nuestra infraestructura de energía, sino también de nuestros puertos, nuestras carreteras, nuestros puentes y nuestros sistemas de control de tráfico aéreo, para que podamos permanecer en la vanguardia, cerciorándonos de que estamos invirtiendo en investigación y desarrollo. Todas estas cosas son de vital importancia y no deben ser objeto de debates ideológicos. (…)

Estamos en mejor posición que cualquier otro país en la tierra para tener éxito en el siglo XX, al igual que lo conseguimos en el siglo XX. Pero la única manera que va a pasar es que si resolvemos la disfunción política que se vive en Washington. (…)

Y cuando con suerte estaré jugando con algunos nietos -pero no demasiado pronto (RISAS), Malia y Sasha tienen solo 15 y 12 años- quiero tener la certeza de que mis esfuerzos redundaron en hacer  del mundo un lugar mejor para ellos. Quiero que sepan que a causa de las decisiones que tomamos hoy, somos más independientes en el uso de energía y estamos mejorando nuestro entorno. Quiero que sepan que no sólo ellos y sus amigos recibieron una buena educación, sino que también  niños de todos los Estados Unidos tuvieron una buena educación. Quiero que sepan que la misma libertad  que gozan aquí se disfruta en otras partes del mundo, incuyendo Cuba.

Eso es lo que me motiva. Eso es lo que me anima todos los días. Quiero asegurarme de que me estoy entregando para ellos. Y sé que Jorge se siente de la misma manera. Y sé que todos ustedes se sienten de la misma manera . Eso es por lo que estamos luchando. De eso se trata.

Y por eso, sé que a veces la política parece sucia y fea. Y a veces puede ser desalentadora. Y el camino del progreso generalmente implica dos pasos adelante y uno hacia atrás. Y no siempre se mueve en una línea recta. Eso es cierto para aquellos que todavía están luchando por su libertad. Eso es cierto para aquellos que ya disfrutan de su libertad. Pero estoy confiando en que si nos mantenemos persistentes y mantenemos nuestros ojos puestos en el premio, que vamos a llegar a donde tenemos que llegar.

Y estoy muy agradecido a todos ustedes por acompañarnos en este proceso. Y quiero que sepan que con senadores como Bill Nelson y Michael Bennet, entonces eso va a ayudarme a cumplir las promesas que he hecho.

Así que muchas gracias a todos. Dios los bendiga. (APLAUSOS)

Texto completo de la intervención (en inglés)

DISCURSO DEL SECRETARIO DE ESTADO JOHN KERRY EN  LA OEA

Washington DC, 18 de noviembre del 2013

Creo que es innegable lo que nuestra unidad de propósito significa. Paso a paso, haciendo a nuestras democracias más fuertes y a nuestra gente más segura -en Guatemala, en Colombia y en toda América. Y en la mayoría de los lugares, creo que ustedes estarán de acuerdo conmigo en que el Hemisferio Occidental se unifica en su compromiso con la búsqueda de democracias exitosas en la forma en que describo.

Sin embargo, una excepción, por supuesto, permanece: Cuba. Desde que el presidente Obama asumió la presidencia, la administración  ha comenzado a buscar un nuevo comienzo con Cuba. Como él dijo la semana pasada, cuando se trata de nuestra relación con Cuba tenemos que ser creativos, tenemos que ser más cuidadosos y tenemos que seguir actualizando nuestras políticas.

Nuestros gobiernos están encontrando cierta cooperación en intereses comunes en este momento. Cada año, cientos de miles de estadounidenses visitan La Habana, y cientos de millones de dólares en el comercio y el flujo de remesas fluyen desde Estados Unidos a Cuba. Estamos comprometidos con este intercambio humano, y en Estados Unidos creemos que nuestra gente son en realidad nuestros mejores embajadores. Son embajadores de nuestros ideales, de nuestros valores, de nuestras creencias.

Y aunque también acogemos con satisfacción algunos de los cambios que están teniendo lugar en Cuba, que permiten que más cubanos puedan viajar libremente y trabajar por cuenta propia para su propio beneficio, estos cambios no debe cegarnos absolutamente sobre la realidad autoritaria que viven cada día los cubanos de a pie. En un continente donde los ciudadanos en todas partes tienen el derecho de poder elegir a sus líderes, los cubanos son los únicos que no pueden hacerlo. En un continente donde la gente puede criticar a sus líderes sin temor al arresto o a la violencia, los cubanos todavía no pueden hacerlo. Y si esto no cambia pronto, está claro que el siglo XXI continuará, desgraciadamente, dejando al pueblo cubano rezagado.

Esperamos que llegue el día -y esperamos que llegue pronto- en que el Gobierno cubano adopte una agenda de reforma política más amplia, que permita a su pueblo determinar libremente su propio futuro. Todo el hemisferio -todos nosotros- comparten un interés en asegurar que los cubanos gocen de los derechos consagrados en nuestra Carta Democrática Interamericana, y esperamos mantenernos unidos en esta aspiración. Porque en todos los países, incluyendo Estados Unidos, cada día que no avanzamos en nombre de las libertades personales y el gobierno representativo corremos el riesgo de retroceder. Y ninguno de nosotros puede aceptar eso.

Incluso mientras celebramos los valores democráticos que se han extendido por toda América Latina, también hay que reconocer que esos valores están siendo desafiados. Después de todo, las elecciones oportunas importan poco si no son realmente libres y justas con todos los partidos políticos compitiendo en igualdad de condiciones. La separación de poderes es de poco consuelo si las instituciones independientes no son capaces de mantener a los poderosos bajo control. Y las leyes que garantizan la libertad de prensa, la libertad de expresión y la libertad de religión son de poca importancia si no se hacen cumplir. La democracia no es un destino, es un viaje infinito. Y todos los días, todos nosotros debemos renovar nuestra decisión de avanzar realmente hacia adelante. Y no somos menos inmunes a esa realidad aquí en Estados Unidos que en cualquier otro lugar; de hecho, en días recientes, tal vez aún más susceptibles a ella.

Texto completo del discurso (en inglés)

Traducción: CaféFuerte

Why Sanctions on Cuba Must Remain in Place - NYTimes

NYTimes.com

Jaime Suchlicki 

In his Nov. 18 speech at the Organization of American States, Secretary John Kerry failed to make a compelling case for keeping U.S. sanctions on Cuba. While correctly pointing out that the Monroe Doctrine is no longer valid, Kerry insisted that “people to people” travel, the visits by Americans under U.S. license to Cuba, is having an impact in penetrating the Communist system.

If the travel ban and the embargo are ended unilaterally now by the U.S., what negotiating tool to encourage change in Cuba will the U.S. government have with a future regime?

His assumptions are incorrect. First, the Castro brothers and their allies aren’t naïve; U.S. tourists have no chance of subverting their regime and influencing internal developments.

Second, American tourists won’t bring democracy to Cuba. Over the past decades several million tourists from Europe, Canada and Latin America have visited the island, and nothing has changed. If anything, Cuba is more repressive, with the state apparatus strengthened by the influx of tourist dollars.

Third, tourism and trade don’t lead to economic and political change. No study I know of has found that tourism, trade or investments had anything to do with the end of communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. A disastrous economic system, competition with the West, successive leadership changes with no legitimacy, a corrupt and weak Communist Party, anti-Soviet feeling in Eastern Europe and the failed Soviet war in Afghanistan were among the reasons for change.

Fourth, engagement with a totalitarian state won’t bring about its demise. Only academic ideologues and some members of Congress interested in catering to the economic needs of their state’s constituencies cling to this notion. Their calls for ending the embargo have little to do with democracy in Cuba or the welfare of the Cuban people.

Repeated claims that the embargo is the cause of Cuba’s economic problems are hollow. The reasons for the economic misery of the Cubans are a failed political and economic system. Like the communist systems of Eastern Europe, Cuba’s system does not function, stifles initiative and productivity and destroys human freedom and dignity.

What’s more, ending U.S. sanctions without major concessions from Cuba would send the wrong message to the Castro regime and to the rest of Latin America. Supporting regimes and dictators that violate human rights and abuse their population is an ill-adviced policy that rewards and encourages further abuses.

If the travel ban and the embargo are ended unilaterally now by the U.S., what negotiating tool to encourage change in Cuba will the U.S. government have with a future regime? Countries don’t change their policies without a quid pro quo from the other side. Unilateral concessions are pocketed by our adversaries without providing meaningful changes.

Sanctions should be ended as a result of negotiations between the U.S. and a Cuban government willing to provide meaningful and irreversible political and economic concessions, not only to the U.S. but, more important, to the Cuban people.

Kerry to Russia: ’Do the right thing’ and return NSA leaker

By Anna Nemtsova and F. Brinley Bruton, NBC News

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday called on Russia to “do the right thing” and prevent professed NSA leaker Edward Snowden from fleeing Moscow and instead return him to the United States.

"I’m not going to get in to the details of what I think is going on, but we hope that the Russians will do the right thing,” Kerry told NBC News in New Delhi, India. “We think it is very important in terms of our relationship. We think it is very important in terms of rule of law. There are important standards.”

Meanwhile President Barack Obama on Monday said the U.S. government is "following all appropriate legal channels and working with all countries to ensure the rule of law is being followed."

The statement was in response to a question on whether he had spoken to Russian leader Vladamir Putin. Obama referred all other questions on Snowden to the Department of Justice.

Snowden was expected to board a flight out of Moscow to Cuba on Monday morning, and heavy security at a Moscow airport fueled speculation he was continuing on a journey that is believed destined for Ecuador in his bid to avoid American espionage charges.

However, journalists aboard Monday morning's Aeroflot flight to Cuba said there was no sign of Snowden on board, even as Ecuador confirmed it was still considering Snowden's request for asylum.

Kerry, who is in the midst of a whirlwind seven-nation trip through the Mideast and Asia, pointed out that the U.S. has returned seven criminals to Russia in recent years.

Maxim Shemetov / Reuters

An empty seat believed to be reserved for Edward Snowden is seen on an Aeroflot jet to Cuba before it left Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on Monday.

The espionage charges leveled against Snowden are very serious, Kerry said, adding that he believes the former NSA contractor has betrayed his country. 

When asked if he considers Snowden a traitor, Kerry said he wouldn’t “play word games about what he is or isn’t,” but went on to say that the 29-year-old is a “traitor to the oath he took to his fellow employees, to the duty he took freely by his own choice.”

Kerry said he did not yet know if the highest levels of the Chinese government were aware of Snowden’s sudden flight to Russia, but said if they were aware that “wouldn’t be a good thing.”

Snowden had originally fled from the U.S. to Hong Kong, where in newspaper interviews he admitted leaking classified documents that revealed the existence of giant top-secret surveillance programs collecting data on phone calls and Internet use.

Kerry pushed back against a question concerning whether Snowden’s disclosures of alleged U.S. hacking in China undercut President Barack Obama’s argument to the Chinese about their cyber-attacks on U.S. military and business interests.

“What Mr. Snowden did has nothing to do with one country and another country attacking the other,” Kerry said. 

Ecuador, which is already harboring WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at its London embassy, said it was reviewing Snowden's asylum request and would make a decision based on human rights considerations, its foreign minister Ricardo Patino told reporters while on a trip to Vietnam, Monday.

Patino said Ecuador was in "respectful" contact with Russia over the issue, adding that the U.S. surveillance programs exposed by Snowden were a rights abuse against the rest of the world.

Only Russia could say where Snowden was currently, Patino added.

Underlining the probability that Snowden would head to Ecuador, Assange told reporters on a conference call Monday that he had been in touch with the American, who he said was healthy and safe.

The Associated Press reported Snowden had registered for Monday’s Aeroflot flight to Cuba with a U.S. passport, which American officials said had been annulled. Aeroflot declined to comment on whether Snowden took his seat.

Aeroflot personnel at Sheremetyevo airport's gate 28 threatened to take journalists' telephones and blocked the view of the aircraft from the terminal. The flight departed at around 6:30 a.m. ET.

On Sunday, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin's said the government was not aware of Snowden's travel plans.

More on worldnews >>

The State Department on Mariela Castro's visa

capitolhillcubans

www.voanoticias.com

From the U.S. State Department's Daily Press Briefing with spokesperson Patrick Ventrell:

QUESTION: One directly has to – relates to travel restrictions. And that is, have you gotten this letter from three members of Congress – Representative Ros-Lehtinen, Representative Sires, and Representative Diaz-Balart about Castro’s – about Ms. Castro’s visa?

MR. VENTRELL: I’ll have to check on that, Matt. I wasn’t aware of that this morning.

QUESTION: Okay, well, regardless, the letter sent to Secretary Kerry was just sent, I think, this morning. So I’m not surprised you don’t have it. But perhaps you are able to answer some of the questions that they have --

MR. VENTRELL: I’ll do my best.

QUESTION: One is, why – these are questions that they asked: Why is the State Department ignoring current U.S. law by continuing to provide visas to Cuban Communist Party operatives such as Mariela Castro?

MR. VENTRELL: I do have a little bit of information about this. And again, what I said about adjudicating visas based on U.S. laws is something that we absolutely do. While we can’t discuss the individual – specific details of individual cases, under Presidential Proclamation 5377 and other applicable requirements, those are all duly considered and strictly followed in adjudicating visa applications submitted by Cuban nationals. Each visa request is reviewed on a case by case basis, including with our agency partners, and there’s no blanket ban on issuing visas to Cuban Government officials.

QUESTION: Okay. Number two: Given the fact that the United States must preclude any travel outside of a 25 mile radius – New York – for Cuban operatives – and I understand she was given a visa to go to New York to attend some kind of UN meeting – why did Mariela Castro get permission to go outside that 25 mile radius and attend this conference in Philadelphia?

MR. VENTRELL: Again, I can’t speak about specific cases. You’re right, Matt, that for certain countries at the UN, there are specific restrictions about officials who have come from that country who are going just for UN business in terms of traveling outside that radius, but those can be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

QUESTION: So if the – and not – and again, not specifically about this case, which you say you can’t talk about specifically, but if permission was granted, it would – to go outside that radius, it would have been because there was some kind of compelling reason for that person to do so? Is that correct?

MR. VENTRELL: Again, they have to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

QUESTION: All right. And then the last one is – it’s a question about reciprocity --

MR. VENTRELL: Yeah.

QUESTION: -- and whether U.S. diplomats in Cuba are given the – are freed or the restrictions on their travel have been either removed or eased in any way.

MR. VENTRELL: I’m not aware that they’ve been eased. There certainly are restrictions on our people, and at times, from time to time in the past, we’ve had frustrations or problems with travel, even sometimes for routine consular matters. But I’d have to check in terms of the very recent past.

QUESTION: All right. But you don’t know of any specific reciprocity for – in exchange for the Mariela Castro (inaudible)?

MR. VENTRELL: Not in this specific case, but reciprocity is something that is one of our principal concerns and something that does govern how we look at this.

QUESTION: Okay. And when you do answer – when you do get this letter, when the Secretary does get this letter, and presumably there will go – be a response --

MR. VENTRELL: Yeah.

QUESTION: -- do you know if the Department is able to say more to members of Congress than you are allowed to say from the podium?

MR. VENTRELL: I think there are some waivers to visa confidentiality for members of Congress, and I think that they’ll be able to answer in more detail in terms of how this specific presidential – again, let me read it to you again. It’s --

QUESTION: Yeah, no, they cite it --

MR. VENTRELL: Okay.

QUESTION: -- 5377, Section 1, all right.

MR. VENTRELL: Yeah. So I imagine in the letter we’ll be able to get into more detail.

Another State Department Concession to the Castro Family: Mariela exemption

capitolhillcubans

Last week, the State Department decided to deny permission to Raul Castro's daughter, Mariela, to travel to Philadelphia to attend an LGBT conference.

Today, it reconsidered and an official told CNN that, "the restriction on her visa has been lifted."

In doing so, the State Department has (yet again) made an exemption for the Cuban dictator's daughter from Presidential Proclamation 5377, which denies visas to Cuban nationals affiliated with that country's totalitarian regime.

Mariela is not only the daughter of Cuba's dictator, but she is a member of his regime's National Assembly, a spokesperson for its repression against democracy activists (whom she refers to as "despicable parasites") and a defender of the arbitrary taking of American hostage Alan Gross.

Moreover, this throws (yet another) bucket of cold water on President Obama's Presidential Proclamation 8697 of August 2011, which sought to "close the gap" in granting visas to foreign nationals affiliated with human rights violators -- and singling-out "prolonged arbitrary detentions" as a main violation.

Mariela's father, is one of the world's worst offenders of such detentions.

Just this weekend, dozens of members of the Ladies in White pro-democracy group were savagely beaten and arrested for their peaceful  advocacy.

Despite this, the Castro family gets rewarded with another U.S. visit.

Let's be clear on another point:  Mariela Castro does not support "LGBT rights."

She doesn't support the right of any Cuban -- gay or straight -- to exercise their fundamental human rights.

To claim that Mariela Castro supports the rights of LGBTs, while she supports violating the fundamental rights of all Cubans, is nonsensical. 

Why doesn't Mariela allow the recognition of independent LGBT groups on the island?  

Or any independent group for that matter?

To continue rewarding the Castro family, while they continue brutalizing men, women and children (of all sexual preferences) is insulting and demoralizing to all those courageously clamoring for freedom

John Kerry dice no habrá canje de espías cubanos por Alan Gross