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UP FRONTWednesday 27 January 2016
Obama administration loosens Cuba embargo with new measures
Javier Yanez looks out from his balcony where he hung a U.S., and a Cuban national flag, to cel- M. WEISSENSTEIN entrepreneurs instead of
ebrate the restored full diplomatic relations between Cuba and the Unites States, in Old Havana. The Associated Press with the state-run firms that
The U.S. Commerce Department said Tuesday, Jan. 26 2016, that it would now allow U.S. exports HAVANA (AP) — The dominate the economy.
to Cuban government agencies in cases where it believed the Cuban people stood to benefit. Obama administration is The Cuban government
loosening the U.S. trade says that U.S. focus on pri-
(AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) embargo on Cuba with a vate business is partly re-
new round of regulations sponsible for the island not
allowing American com- opening its economy in re-
panies to sell to Cuba on sponse to the U.S. loosen-
credit and export a poten- ing of the embargo.
tially wide range of prod- The U.S. Commerce De-
ucts to the Cuban govern- partment said Tuesday
ment for the first time, offi- that it would now allow U.S.
cials said Tuesday. exports to Cuban govern-
The changes are President ment agencies in cases
Barack Obama’s third at- where it believed the Cu-
tempt to spur U.S.-Cuba ban people stood to ben-
commerce despite an efit. It cited agriculture, his-
embargo that still prohibits toric preservation, educa-
most forms of trade with tion, food processing and
the island. public health and infra-
U.S. travel to Cuba has structure as government-
exploded since Obama controlled sectors that it
and Cuban President Raul would not allow to receive
Castro declared detente goods from the U.S. on a
in 2014. But U.S. hopes of case-by-case basis, poten-
building wider trade be- tially opening up a huge
tween American busi- new field of commerce
nesses and Cuba’s private between U.S. business and
sector have been largely the Cuban government.
frustrated by Congressio- “You would expect that
nal reluctance to end the this would open up a lot of
embargo itself and by the areas where there should
island’s labyrinthine restric- be enhanced trade,” said
tions on imports, exports James Williams, head of
and private business. the anti-embargo U.S.
Obama says he hopes to group Engage Cuba. He
visit Cuba before he leaves said that while Obama’s
office but a trip would de- initial exceptions to the
pend on the progress be- embargo were criticized
ing made in relations be- for not reflecting a deep
tween the two countries. understanding of Cuba,
Tuesday’s move appears the new regulations were
designed to jumpstart much more attuned to
commerce between the the peculiarities of Cuba’s
two countries and remove state-controlled economy.
some of Cuba’s biggest Cuban officials issued no
excuses for not opening its immediate comment on
economy to trade with the the changes and state
U.S. media made only brief
“Just as the United States is mention of them in the
doing its part to remove im- first hours after the U.S. an-
pediments that have been nouncement. Anti-Castro
holding Cubans back, we figures in the U.S. have long
urge the Cuban govern- argued against Obama’s
ment to make it easier for opening with Cuba, saying
its citizens to start business- it empowers the state rath-
es, engage in trade, and er than the Cuban people
access information online,” and Tuesday’s announce-
National Security Council ment gave them ammu-
spokesman Ned Price said. nition. “These regulations
Among a host of other are more proof that the
measures, the new regu- Obama Administration’s in-
lations allow U.S. firms to tent has never been to em-
offer Cuban buyers credit power the Cuban people
on sales of non-agricultural but rather to empower the
goods, addressing a long- Cuban government’s mo-
standing Cuban complaint nopolies and state-run en-
about a ban on credit. terprises,” said Republican
The vast majority of presidential candidate
Obama’s new regulations Marco Rubio, a Cuban-
have been aimed at spur- American U.S. senator from
ring U.S. trade with Cuban Florida.q
