[AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio]
Good afternoon. Today, the
United States of America is changing its relationship with the people of
Cuba.
In the most significant changes in our policy in more than fifty years,
we will end an outdated approach that, for decades, has failed to
advance our interests, and instead we will begin to normalize relations
between our two countries. Through these changes, we intend to create
more opportunities for the American and Cuban people, and begin a new
chapter among the nations of the Americas.
There’s a complicated history between the United States and Cuba. I was
born in 1961 -- just over two years after Fidel Castro took power in
Cuba, and just a few months after the
Bay of Pigs invasion, which tried to
overthrow his regime. Over the next several decades, the relationship
between our countries played out against the backdrop of the Cold War,
and America’s steadfast opposition to communism. We are separated by
just over 90 miles. But year after year, an ideological and economic
barrier hardened between our two countries.
Meanwhile, the Cuban exile community in the United States made enormous
contributions to our country -- in politics and business, culture and
sports. Like immigrants before, Cubans helped remake America, even as
they felt a painful yearning for the land and families they left
behind. All of this bound America and Cuba in a unique relationship, at
once family and foe.
Proudly, the United States has supported democracy and human rights in
Cuba through these five decades. We have done so primarily through
policies that aimed to isolate the island, preventing the most basic
travel and commerce that Americans can enjoy anyplace else. And though
this policy has been rooted in the best of intentions, no other nation
joins us in imposing these sanctions, and it has had little effect
beyond providing the Cuban government with a rationale for restrictions
on its people. Today, Cuba is still governed by the Castros and the
Communist Party that came to power half a century ago.
Neither the American, nor Cuban people are well served by a rigid policy
that is rooted in events that took place before most of us were born.
Consider that for more than 35 years, we’ve had relations with China --
a far larger country also governed by a Communist Party. Nearly two
decades ago, we reestablished relations with Vietnam, where we fought a
war that claimed more Americans than any Cold War confrontation.
That’s why -- when I came into office -- I promised to re-examine our
Cuba policy. As a start, we lifted restrictions for Cuban Americans to
travel and send remittances to their families in Cuba. These changes,
once controversial, now seem obvious. Cuban Americans have been reunited
with their families, and are the best possible ambassadors for our
values. And through these exchanges, a younger generation of Cuban
Americans has increasingly questioned an approach that does more to keep
Cuba closed off from an interconnected world.
While I have been prepared to take additional steps for some time, a
major obstacle stood in our way -- the wrongful imprisonment, in Cuba,
of a U.S. citizen and USAID sub-contractor
Alan Gross for five years. Over many months, my
administration has held discussions with the Cuban government about
Alan’s case, and other aspects of our relationship. His Holiness Pope
Francis issued a personal appeal to me, and to Cuba’s President Raul
Castro, urging us to resolve Alan’s case, and to address Cuba’s interest
in the
release of three Cuban agents who have been jailed in the United
States for over 15 years.
Today, Alan returned home -- reunited with his family at long last.
Alan was released by the Cuban government on humanitarian grounds.
Separately, in exchange for the three Cuban agents, Cuba today released
one of the most important intelligence agents that the United States has
ever had in Cuba, and who has been imprisoned for nearly two decades.
This man, whose sacrifice has been known to only a few, provided America
with the information that allowed us to arrest the network of Cuban
agents that included the men transferred to Cuba today, as well as other
spies in the United States. This man is now safely on our shores.
Having recovered these two men who sacrificed for our country, I’m now
taking steps to place the interests of the people of both countries at
the heart of our policy.
First, I’ve instructed Secretary Kerry to immediately begin discussions
with Cuba to reestablish diplomatic relations that have been severed
since January of 1961. Going forward, the United States will
reestablish an embassy in Havana, and high-ranking officials will visit
Cuba.
Where we can advance shared interests, we will -- on issues like health,
migration, counterterrorism, drug trafficking and disaster response.
Indeed, we’ve seen the benefits of cooperation between our countries
before. It was a Cuban,
Carlos Finlay, who discovered that mosquitoes
carry yellow fever; his work helped Walter Reed fight it. Cuba has sent
hundreds of health care workers to Africa to fight Ebola, and I believe
American and Cuban health care workers should work side by side to stop
the spread of this deadly disease.
Now, where we disagree, we will raise those differences directly -- as
we will continue to do on issues related to democracy and human rights
in Cuba. But I believe that we can do more to support the Cuban people
and promote our values through engagement. After all, these 50 years
have shown that isolation has not worked. It’s time for a new approach.
Second, I’ve instructed Secretary Kerry to review Cuba’s designation as
a State Sponsor of Terrorism. This review will be guided by the facts
and the law. Terrorism has changed in the last several decades. At a
time when we are focused on threats from al Qaeda to ISIL, a nation that
meets our conditions and renounces the use of terrorism should not face
this sanction.
Third, we are taking steps to increase travel, commerce, and the flow of
information to and from Cuba. This is fundamentally about freedom and
openness, and also expresses my belief in the power of people-to-people
engagement. With the changes I’m announcing today, it will be easier
for Americans to travel to Cuba, and Americans will be able to use
American credit and debit cards on the island. Nobody represents
America’s values better than the American people, and I believe this
contact will ultimately do more to empower the Cuban people.
I also believe that more resources should be able to reach the Cuban
people. So we’re significantly increasing the amount of money that can
be sent to Cuba, and removing limits on remittances that support
humanitarian projects, the Cuban people, and the emerging Cuban private
sector.
I believe that American businesses should not be put at a disadvantage,
and that increased commerce is good for Americans and for Cubans. So we
will facilitate authorized transactions between the United States and
Cuba. U.S. financial institutions will be allowed to open accounts at
Cuban financial institutions. And it will be easier for U.S. exporters
to sell goods in Cuba.
I believe in the free flow of information. Unfortunately, our sanctions
on Cuba have denied Cubans access to technology that has empowered
individuals around the globe. So I’ve authorized increased
telecommunications connections between the United States and Cuba.
Businesses will be able to sell goods that enable Cubans to communicate
with the United States and other countries.
These are the steps that I can take as President to change this policy.
The embargo that’s been imposed for decades is now codified in
legislation. As these changes unfold, I look forward to engaging
Congress in an honest and serious debate about lifting the embargo.
Yesterday, I spoke with Raul Castro to finalize Alan Gross’s release and
the exchange of prisoners, and to describe how we will move forward. I
made clear my strong belief that Cuban society is constrained by
restrictions on its citizens. In addition to the return of Alan Gross
and the release of our intelligence agent, we welcome Cuba’s decision to
release a substantial number of prisoners whose cases were directly
raised with the Cuban government by my team. We welcome Cuba’s decision
to provide more access to the Internet for its citizens, and to continue
increasing engagement with international institutions like the United
Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross that promote
universal values.
But I’m under no illusion about the continued barriers to freedom that
remain for ordinary Cubans. The United States believes that no Cubans
should face harassment or arrest or beatings simply because they’re
exercising a universal right to have their voices heard, and we will
continue to support civil society there. While Cuba has made reforms to
gradually open up its economy, we continue to believe that Cuban workers
should be free to form unions, just as their citizens should be free to
participate in the political process.
Moreover, given Cuba’s history, I expect it will continue to pursue
foreign policies that will at times be sharply at odds with American
interests. I do not expect the changes I am announcing today to bring
about a transformation of Cuban society overnight. But I am convinced
that through a policy of engagement, we can more effectively stand up
for our values and help the Cuban people help themselves as they move
into the 21st century.
To those who oppose the steps I’m announcing today, let me say that I
respect your passion and share your commitment to liberty and
democracy. The question is how we uphold that commitment. I do not
believe we can keep doing the same thing for over five decades and
expect a different result. Moreover, it does not serve America’s
interests, or the Cuban people, to try to push Cuba toward collapse.
Even if that worked -- and it hasn’t for 50 years -- we know from
hard-earned experience that countries are more likely to enjoy lasting
transformation if their people are not subjected to chaos. We are
calling on Cuba to unleash the potential of 11 million Cubans by ending
unnecessary restrictions on their political, social, and economic
activities. In that spirit, we should not allow U.S. sanctions to add
to the burden of Cuban citizens that we seek to help.
To the Cuban people, America extends a hand of friendship. Some of you
have looked to us as a source of hope, and we will continue to shine a
light of freedom. Others have seen us as a former colonizer intent on
controlling your future.
José Martí once said, “Liberty is the right of
every man to be honest.” Today, I am being honest with you. We can
never erase the history between us, but we believe that you should be
empowered to live with dignity and self-determination. Cubans have a
saying about daily life: “No es facil” -- it’s not easy. Today, the
United States wants to be a partner in making the lives of ordinary
Cubans a little bit easier, more free, more prosperous.
To those who have supported these measures, I thank you for being
partners in our efforts. In particular, I want to thank His Holiness
Pope Francis, whose moral example shows us the importance of pursuing
the world as it should be, rather than simply settling for the world as
it is; the government of Canada, which hosted our discussions with the
Cuban government; and a bipartisan group of congressmen who have worked
tirelessly for Alan Gross’s release, and for a new approach to advancing
our interests and values in Cuba.
Finally, our shift in policy towards Cuba comes at a moment of renewed
leadership in the Americas. This April, we are prepared to have Cuba
join the other nations of the hemisphere at the Summit of the Americas.
But we will insist that civil society join us so that citizens, not just
leaders, are shaping our future. And I call on all of my fellow leaders
to give meaning to the commitment to democracy and human rights at the
heart of the Inter-American Charter. Let us leave behind the legacy of
both colonization and communism, the tyranny of drug cartels, dictators
and sham elections. A future of greater peace, security and democratic
development is possible if we work together -- not to maintain power,
not to secure vested interest, but instead to advance the dreams of our
citizens.
My fellow Americans, the city of Miami is only 200 miles or so from
Havana. Countless thousands of Cubans have come to Miami -- on planes
and makeshift rafts; some with little but the shirt on their back and
hope in their hearts. Today, Miami is often referred to as the capital
of Latin America. But it is also a profoundly American city -- a place
that reminds us that ideals matter more than the color of our skin, or
the circumstances of our birth; a demonstration of what the Cuban people
can achieve, and the openness of the United States to our family to the
South. Todos somos Americanos.
Change is hard -- in our own lives, and in the lives of nations. And
change is even harder when we carry the heavy weight of history on our
shoulders. But today we are making these changes because it is the
right thing to do. Today, America chooses to cut loose the shackles of
the past so as to reach for a better future -- for the Cuban people, for
the American people, for our entire hemisphere, and for the world.
Thank you. God bless you and God bless the United States of America.
Book/CDs by Michael E. Eidenmuller, Published by
McGraw-Hill (2008)
Also in this database: Raul Castro's Speech to the People of Cuba in US Policy Changes
Text & Audio Source:
WhiteHouse.gov
Image Source: http://www.dvidshub.net/
Audio Note: AR-XE = American Rhetoric Extreme Enhancement