- Title: Obama names U.S. ambassador to Cuba, setting up a confirmation fight
- Date: 28th September 2016
- Summary: HAVANA, CUBA (RECENT) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF U.S. EMBASSY IN HAVANA EXTERIOR OF U.S. EMBASSY ALONG HAVANA'S FAMED MALECON
- Embargoed: 13th October 2016 16:00
- Keywords: Jeffrey DeLaurentis U.S. ambassador Cuba
- Location: HAVANA, CUBA
- City: HAVANA, CUBA
- Country: Cuba
- Reuters ID: LVA00351HDIKJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:President Barack Obama on Tuesday (May 27) nominated career diplomat Jeffrey DeLaurentis to be the first U.S. ambassador to Cuba in more than five decades, setting up a fierce confirmation battle with Republicans in Congress opposed to Obama's opening with the island.
The appointment of DeLaurentis, the top American official at the U.S. embassy in Havana since relations were restored last year, marked Obama's latest move to go as far as he can in normalizing ties between the former Cold War foes before he leaves office in January.
The nomination must be approved by the Republican-controlled Senate, which is seen as a long shot, especially in a presidential election year and given expected strong resistance from Cuban-American senators including Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas.
Rubio, in a blistering statement, derided the nomination as a "last-ditch legacy project" by Obama and said it "should go nowhere".
An individual senator has the power - one that is often invoked - to put a "hold" on an ambassadorial nomination to delay a full Senate vote.
In a veiled appeal to lawmakers, Obama praised DeLaurentis for his leadership during the normalization process. "We only hurt ourselves by not being represented by an ambassador" in Havana, he said in a statement.
"Having an ambassador will make it easier to advocate for our interests and will deepen our understanding even when we know that we will continue to have differences with the Cuban government," Obama said.
DeLaurentis had been widely tipped for the post. He has been U.S. chief of mission in Cuba since August 2014, his third posting in Havana. He has also held diplomatic posts at the State Department in Washington, at the U.S. mission to the United Nations and in Bogota.
But the president held off naming him until now even as Cuba appointed its own ambassador to Washington shortly after embassies were reopened in both countries' capitals in July of last year.
He would be the first U.S. envoy since Philip Bonsal, an appointee of President Dwight Eisenhower, left the post vacant in late 1960. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
