Obama to visit Cuba in March

Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro shocked the world in December 2014 by announcing the former adversaries would move to normalize relations.

Officials on Wednesday had said the Cuba visit will be part of Obama’s broader trip to Latin America.

Cuban officials are concerned that the executive actions taken by President Obama to normalize relations could be reversed next year, given the opposition of leading Republican presidential candidates to restoring ties with Cuba.

In that time, air travel between the countries have been restored, and embassies have been reopened.

Former President Jimmy Carter visited in March 2011.

Officials say Obama could visit the island to witness a signing of a peace accord between the government of Colombia and the FARC rebel group. A prisoner exchange was carried out at the same time.

A formal announcement is expected Thursday, which reportedly will be part of a multi-nation Latin American tour. “A year and two months after the opening to Cuba, the Cuban government remains as repressive as ever”.

Opponents of easing relations with Cuba were quick to object to Obama’s planned trip. Conservative and older Cuban-Americans are far more resistant to working with Cuba than younger generations of Floridians, who polls show are softening their views toward the country.

Cash-strapped Cuba is seeking new sources of income as its main ally and financial backer, Venezuela, is mired in economic and political crisis, with oil prices very low.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, whose father fled to the United States from Cuba in the 1950s, also said Obama should not visit while members of the Castro family remained in power.

The White House declined to comment on the reports. “We need a president who stands up to our enemies”, Cruz added. “We want to open up more opportunities for USA businesses and travelers to engage with Cuba, and we want the Cuban government to open up more opportunities for its people to benefit from that engagement”.

Coolidge traveled to Cuba to address the Sixth Annual International Conference of American States in Havana on January 16, 1928.