CUBA-USA/MORNING REAX Hopes, expectations high for Cuba as flag raised at U.S. embassy

Record ID: 143804

  • Title: CUBA-USA/MORNING REAX Hopes, expectations high for Cuba as flag raised at U.S. embassy
  • Date: 15th August 2015
  • Summary: HAVANA, CUBA (AUGUST 15, 2015) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF U.S. EMBASSY WITH TRAFFIC PASSING INFRONT OF IT AND A CUBAN FLAG FLYING EXTERIOR OF U.S. EMBASSY WITH SIGN READING: "EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" BUS PASSING EMBASSY WITH PASSENGERS TAKING PICTURES U.S. FLAG FLYING OUTSIDE EMBASSY VARIOUS OF WORKERS BREAKING DOWN STAGE SET UP FOR U.S. FLAG-RAISING CEREMON
  • Embargoed: 30th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Cuba
  • Country: Cuba
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA7M44Z424W6OWWGIC9ZR1R7V5F
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Hopes and expectations were high in Cuba on Saturday (August 15) one day after the flag of the United States was raised at the recently opened embassy in Havana.
    Cubans and tourists took pictures of the embassy as news of the ceremony filled the newspaper.
    On Thursday (August 14), the U.S. flag was raised at America's embassy in Havana for the first time in 54 years. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry presided over the ceremony and called for a "genuine democracy" in Cuba.
    Jose Armando Sosa, a Mexican visiting Cuba, said he hoped a warming relationship between the Cold War foes would lead to a brighter future for Cuba.
    "I hope, I hope that there will be justice and equality and great development for the Cuban people," he said.
    Meanwhile, some Cubans said they hoped to also see a change in the U.S. embargo on Cuba.
    "We have had a lot of difficulties, no? Because of the limitations that we have with the embargo and also the limitations we have sometimes imposed on us from within, do you understand? I don't know what can happen above because we also have limitations because of things we don't understand, but without ignoring those, the main ones are those produced by the embargo of the United States on Cuba," said Ricardo, a Havana resident.
    U.S.-Cuban relations took a dramatic turn in December when Cuban President Raul Castro and U.S. President Barack Obama announced an end to decades of hostility.
    Since then, Obama has eased restrictions on travel and trade, believing engagement with Cuba will do more to encourage personal freedoms on the island than Cold War-era rhetoric and a economic embargo.
    Meanwhile, Cuba's Juventud Rebelde issued a series of still photos showing former President Fidel Castro celebrating his 89th birthday with toasts and good friends, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Bolivian President Evo Morales.
    Castro's birthday was on Thursday (August 13).
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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