Questions over US-Cuba talks amid Venezuela dispute

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Questions over US-Cuba talks amid Venezuela dispute
Mar 18, 7:22 PM EDT
By PETER ORSI and ANDREA RODRIGUEZ
Associated Press

HAVANA (AP) -- It has been a strange few days for U.S.-Cuba relations that are meant to be on the mend.
First, the two sides emerged from surprise talks in Havana on Monday with nothing to say about progress toward reopening embassies after more than a half-century hiatus. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobsen returned to Washington as quietly as she arrived.

Cuban President Raul Castro, meanwhile, jetted off to a summit of leftist leaders in Venezuela on Tuesday to lambast U.S. policy toward Venezuela, his island's top ally. The U.S. recently declared the South American nation a threat to its national security and levied sanctions on seven Venezuelan officials.

The whole thing had some observers scratching their heads, wondering whether there is now an obstacle blocking the road to detente.

The two countries announced their intent to normalize diplomatic relations on Dec. 17, but progress has been slow going in the intervening three months. The next steps in the rapprochement are widely seen to be the reopening of embassies and the removal of Cuba from a State Department list of terror-sponsoring nations.


Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CB_CUBA_US?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-03-18-19-22-47

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. Who's running our foreign policy? Marco Rubio?

[geek tragedy]

7. did anyone think the two sides were going to throw flowers at each other and

greet one another as liberators? It's been 60 years since the two countries had any kid of relationship.

[riobravo]

9. Another diplomatic success

brought to you by the proud folks who adeptly brought you our impressive Ukrainian success!

[delrem]

2. I noticed the contradiction in C vs V rhetoric/action from the start.

I thought everybody did.
I thought the overtures to C were a ploy, sleight of hand, to diffuse negative reactions to the beginning of an overt war on V.
I remember the coup in Honduras. I assume that 99% of USians are unaware, or forgot.

I connect this with "Friends of Libya" and "Friends of Syria", both PNAC operations happening at the same time but in another part of the world. The correct identity is that so-called "moderate rebels" are identical in kind to "contras". Everyone should recognize and know this, but who does? Who is willing to say it?

I don't see any change on the part of the US, from Reagan onward.

I had hope with Carter. I thought a gradual change was on the move.
But Reagan killed that hope.

Now, under Obama I just "can't believe" it's happening this way, but it is. I know it is.
And on the part of the population, the denial! The pretence that it's all W's fault, or the R's fault, and that PNAC isn't operational and in control.
The lies that have to go with that pretence. The wilful ignorance required to establish and propagate those lies.

It hurts. It hurts now, deeper than it ever did.

[DeSwiss]

3. Don't be alarmed!

- Eleventy-dimensional chess can be confusing to the uninitiated. But this is what he earned that Peace Prize for, his deftness.

Any minute now we'll all be smoking Cuban cigars.......

K&R

[riobravo]

10. Or

if Obama's diplomatic successes in Ukraine keeps on succeeding any more
deftly than they already have, we could all be smoking...
without needing any cigars... Cuban or otherwise.

[DeSwiss]

11. !

[hack89]

4. Cuba is in a tough place

they know their economic future depends on the U.S. But they can't survive right now without the billions in annual Venezulan subsidies.

This is why I doubt Obama is that worried. As Venezula continues its self inflicted downward spiral all those countries will look towards closer economic ties with the U.S.

[flamingdem]

8. Yes, Obama started a process that will move forward

though it will be tough sledding.

I can't believe the talks would have degenerated based on Raul's trip to Venezuela.

So I don't.

One thing we know is that they wanted that session to be private, and they said nothing about it really. The fact that it ended after one day might be because they got their business done.

One not so good thing could be that the US is unable to take Cuba off the terrorism list.

If they can't do that for them there was no point in starting, but there might be a Republican imposed hangup on that.

[bemildred]

5. Right, like Cuba would dump Venezuela the first time we flirt with it. nt

[hack89]

6. Cuba needs those billions in Venezuelan subsidies

so it is unreasonable to expect them to quickly cut their ties. Cuba is planning for an economic future without Venezuela but until the gravy train ends don't expect major changes.