HAVANA, Cuba (Reuters) — U.S. President Barack Obama pushed Cuba to improve its record on human rights and sparred with President Raul Castro during a historic visit to the Caribbean island on Monday (March 21), while Castro hit back by decrying U.S. “double standards”.
“We continue, as President Castro indicated, to have some very serious differences including on democracy and human rights. President Castro and I have had very frank and candid conversations on these subjects. The United States recognizes progress that Cuba has made as a nation, its enormous achievements in education and in health care and, perhaps more importantly, I affirm that Cuba’s destiny will not be decided by the United States or any other nation. Cuba is sovereign and rightfully has great pride and the future of Cuba will be decided by Cubans, not by anybody else,” Obama said.
“As we do wherever we go around the world, I made it clear that the United States will continue to speak up on behalf of democracy, including the right of the Cuban people to decide their own future. We will speak out on behalf of universal human rights, including freedom of speech, and assembly and religion,” he added.
Obama, the first sitting U.S. president to visit Cuba in nearly 90 years, is under pressure from critics at home to push Castro’s government to allow political dissent and to further open its Soviet-style economy. Some opponents of the visit say he has already given away too much as he improves ties, with too little from Cuba in return.
Castro responded sharply to the pressure over his record on rights, saying the U.S. stance reflected a double standard as a country that also violated human rights. He said no country met all international rights agreements, and that Cuba was strong on many areas such as health, access to education and women’s equality.
“But as you heard, President Castro has also addressed what he sees as shortcomings in the United States around basic needs for people and poverty and inequality and race relations. And we welcome that constructive dialogue as well because we believe that when we share our deepest beliefs and ideas, with an attitude of mutual respect, that we can both learn and make the lives of our people better,” Obama responded.
Human rights remained an impediment to strengthening ties with Cuba despite the rapprochement reached by the two leaders in December 2014, Obama said, adding a “full flowering” of the relationship could happen only with progress on the issue.
“One of the impediments to strengthening those ties is these disagreements around human rights and democracy and, to the extent that we can have a good conversation about that and to actually make progress, that I think will allow us to see the full flowering of a relationship that is possible. In the absence of that, I think it will continue to be a very powerful irritant,” Obama said at a sometimes tense joint news conference that was broadcast live on Cuban state television.
Castro appeared at times uncomfortable and showed flashes of anger as he made the rare step of taking questions from journalists.
Obama said the two countries had made progress on business and were actively negotiating increased opportunities.
“I am also joined by some of America’s top business leaders and entrepreneurs because we are ready to pursue more commercial ties which create jobs and opportunities for Cubans and Americans alike,” he said.
“U.S. Airlines will begin direct, commercial flights this year. With last week’s port security announcement, we removed the last major hurdle to resuming cruises and ferry service, all of which will mean even more Americans visiting Cuba in the years ahead and appreciating the incredible history and culture of the Cuban people,” Obama added.
The U.S. president also said he had discussed regional issues with Castro related to Colombia and Venezuela.
“I want to thank President Castro and the Cuban government for hosting peace talks between the Colombian government and FARC and we remain optimistic that Colombians can achieve a lasting and just peace. And although we did not have an extensive discussion on Venezuela, we did touch on the subject and I believe that the whole region has an interest in a country that is addressing its economic challenges, is responsive to the aspirations of its people and is a source of stability in the region,” he said.
Castro said the two countries could achieve much better ties if the United States lifted its 54-year-old trade embargo on the island and handed back the Guantanamo base to Cuba.
“The embargo is going to end. When? I can’t be entirely sure but I believe it will end and the path we are on will continue beyond my administration,” he said.
Obama has urged Congress to rescind the economic embargo but has been rejected by the Republican leadership. He now has both Democratic and Republican elected officials with him on his Cuba trip and hopes Congress may act after the Nov. 8 presidential election.
The White House had pushed for a joint press conference between Obama and Castro for some time, in line with U.S. practice on other foreign trips, but the Castro government resisted.
For decades, Obama’s trip would have been unthinkable. It became possible after secret talks led to a 2014 agreement to normalize relations between the two Cold War-era foes.
