Speaking to representatives of 34 countries at the Summit of the Americas, President Barack Obama said he is seeking “a new beginning” in U.S. relations with Cuba:
“Every one of our nations has a right to follow its own path,” Obama told the assembly. “But we all have a responsibility to see that the people of the Americas have the ability to pursue their own dreams in democratic societies.
“Toward that end, the United States seeks a new beginning with Cuba.”
President Obama’s remarks come on the heels of Cuban President Raúl Castro’s remarks on Thursday that he was prepared to discuss “everything” with the Unite States government:
“We’ve told the North American government, in private and in public, that we are prepared, wherever they want, to discuss everything — human rights, freedom of the press, political prisoners — everything, everything, everything that they want to discuss,” Cuban President Raúl Castro said Thursday.
In speaking further about Cuba at the Summit of the Americas, President Obama also added:
“They would have us make the false choice between a rigid, state-run economy and unbridled and unregulated capitalism; between blame for right-wing paramilitaries or left-wing insurgents; between sticking to inflexible policies with regard to Cuba or denying the full human rights that are owed to the Cuban people.
“I didn’t come here to debate the past — I came here to deal with the future. As neighbors, we have a responsibility to each other and to our citizens. And by working together, we can take important steps forward to advance prosperity, security and liberty.”
I’m glad to see President Obama taking steps to engage in diplomacy with a country like Cuba, because it’s long past the time when Cuba posed a real threat to the United States. Building a relationship with Cuba can only serve to benefit the United States by opening up new markets for American goods while also discarding an adversarial relationship in favor of one that’s on much better terms.
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