‘Steady progress’ in US-Cuba ties on first anniversary of normalization
The United States and Cuba are making “steady progress” one year after the normalization of ties between the long-time foes, a senior US State Department official says.
"Normalization is a long term process ... but we are making slow and steady progress," the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Josefina Vidal, Cuba's top diplomat for US affairs, spoke of progress in ties with Washington in an interview with a state-run newspaper.
Vidal noted that the administration of US President Barack Obama "can do much more to make the process irreversible going forward."
"Cuba has reiterated the importance of the president using his executive authority to the maximum to continue introducing political changes," she told the ruling Communist party's official newspaper, Granma.
After more than half a century of enmity, Obama and his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro, announced the thaw in December 2014.
The US president, who visited Havana in March, has been engaged in a row with the Republicans in control of the Congress to lift the full embargo on Havana, but has failed so far.
Some portions of the embargo have been relaxed but not enough to appeal to Havana.
"Our financial transactions continue to be blocked... we are denied all kinds of services, including our diplomatic missions and offices abroad, and banks and foreign entities linked to our country continue receiving fines," Vidal said. "The US government has not issued any political statement or legal document explaining to the banks of the world that operations with Cuba are legitimate and will not be sanctioned."
In the meantime, Washington keeps pressuring the Cuban authorities over what it claims are human rights violations in the large Caribbean island country.
"Tough conversations on challenging issues such as human rights... lie ahead," said the US ambassador to Cuba, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, ahead of the anniversary.
The United States and Cuba restored diplomatic relations on July 20, 2015.
The two countries became ideological foes soon after the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power and their ties remained hostile even after the end of the Cold War.
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