How U.S.-Cuba relations could impact Massachusetts

Hundreds of Cubans mixed with American tourists outside the former U.S. Interests Section, newly rechristened with a sign announcing “Embassy of the United States of America”.

In a joint press conference with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, Secretary Kerry said it was a day for “removing barriers”.

Not all the talk was as warm as the sunny summer day. And Rodiles declined Secretary Kerry’s invitation to meet with opponents of the Castro regime separately at the US embassy in Havana. Kerry added that Congress would not lift the economic embargo if there were no movement on issues of freedom of conscience.

It seemed that virtually all of Cuba was glued to a television or listening to a live radio broadcast on a cellphone.

While there, he addressed a group of diplomats, Cuban-Americans and advocates of warming relations with Cuba.

However despite the recent thaw in relations, tensions between the two countries still remain, the CNN reports.

“One of the reasons that the U.S. has changed its approach to Cuba is the realization that government officials are going to shape what happens here next, while the dissidents will play only a marginal role”, he said.

President Barack Obama wants to make it easier for Americans to travel to Cuba and transact business there.

The U.S. tried several times to hold discussions with Cuban officials about the details of Obama’s loosening of U.S. regulations but those meetings never happened amid the pressure to strike a deal allowing the reopening of embassies in Havana and Washington on July 20. The U.S. raised its flag in Havana then, too, though saving the formal ceremony for Kerry’s visit.

James Tracy, Mike and Larry Morris East, the three Marines who had lowered the flag on January 4, 1961, were in charge of delivering the standard to other three young marines who raised the Stars and Stripes on this special occasion.

The secretary of state will be accompanied by a delegation made up of 19 members.

He said during the war the US kept its territory and industries, and the richest and most well-armed country on earth, while other countries counted their dead.

Cuban-American Jorge Luis Hernandez, who left Cuba for Miami in 1980, is visiting his brothers.

The Caribbean Community (Caricom) has congratulated sister Caribbean nation Cuba and the United States on their ongoing moves to normalise relations. “In the last month, the repression has been increasing against the opposition and against human rights activists”.

“We had an anachronism in our embargo and all for over 50 years and it accomplished absolutely nothing”.

The Obama administration says Washington’s long policy of trying to force change in Communist-governed Cuba through isolation did not work.

But full normalization of relations is a distant goal.

However, she is aware that such changes might bring certain costs “such as losing the opportunity for every Cuban child and teenager to study for free at all levels of education”. While the American flag flies over Havana, there could soon be a Cuban flag flying over Philadelphia.