• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

US eases firms' access to Cuba

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New York, April 14, IRNA -- The Obama administration said it would allow US telecommunications companies to set up shop in Cuba.

The administration also said it was lifting, as expected, longtime restrictions that limited Cuban-American families' remittances and travel to the island. Under the new policy, they may visit Cuba as often as they like and send family as much money as they want.

Together, the policy changes are aimed at opening up Cuba to US influences, both to family members living in the US and to the broader world of TV, radio, the Internet and phone connections.

US companies would need the permission of the Cuban government to beam satellite-TV and radio programs on to the island, and there was no indication that such permission would be forthcoming.

Rather, the White House cast the moves as a way to challenge the Cuban government to open itself up to the outside world.

"All who embrace core democratic values long for a Cuba that respects the basic human, political and economic rights of all of its citizens," said White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs.

"President Obama believes the measure he has taken today will help make that goal a reality."

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro said that Obama can use his 'talents' in creating a constructive policy that would end the embargo that 'has failed for almost half a century'.

"On the other hand, our country, which has resisted and is willing to resist whatever it takes, neither blames Obama for the atrocities of other US administrations nor doubts his sincerity and his wishes to change the United States policy and image," Castro said.

"We understand that he waged a very difficult battle to be elected, despite centuries-old prejudices."

Obama thinks the change in US policy will ultimately help bring about a more tolerant, democratic Cuban government, said White House Latin American policy adviser Dan Restrepo.

The president thinks 'that creating independence, creating space for the Cuban people to operate freely from the regime is the kind of space they need to start the process toward a more democratic Cuba', Restrepo said.

But critics of the change blasted the administration for unilaterally changing what had been a long-settled US policy.