New U.S. government rules restrict travel and trade with Cuba

Record ID: 936819

  • Title: New U.S. government rules restrict travel and trade with Cuba
  • Date: 9th November 2017
  • Summary: HAVANA, CUBA (RECENT) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** GENERAL OF SHERATON HOTEL FLAG OF UNITED STATES AND SIGN THAT READS, "FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON" GAVIOTA TOURIST BUS OPENING DOOR SIGN THAT READS, "TRANSGAVIOTA," ON BUS TOURISTS GETTING ON BUS HAVANA, CUBA (NOVEMBER 08, 2017) (REUTERS) GENERAL OF NEWS CONFERENCE FOR CUBA'S FOREIGN MINISTRY CHIEF FOR U.S. AFFAIRS, JOSEFINA VIDAL (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) CUBA'S FOREIGN MINISTRY CHIEF FOR U.S., JOSEFINA VIDAL, SAYING: "Some measures don't hide their political agenda - like the one that encourages travellers to pursue activities, which we call subversive activities, to be able to justify the legality of their visits to Cuba. These measures won't only damage the Cuban economy, state and non-state sectors of our economy, but they will also affect U.S. citizens who have a right to travel to Cuba, the only country in the world they can't travel to freely, they will see even more restrictions. These measures will also have effects on and damage U.S. businesses, which will lose interesting opportunities for businesses that exist in Cuba thanks to their own merit." GENERAL OF VIDAL'S NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) CUBA'S FOREIGN MINISTRY CHIEF FOR U.S., JOSEFINA VIDAL, SAYING: "Cuba has never ever adopted any retaliatory measure against U.S. citizens, against U.S. business, against U.S. entities. Cuba is against, by principle, unilateral sanctions. So, we have never done that. We are not doing that and we will never do that. Unilateral sanctions do not work. Unilateral sanctions affect people. They hurt people. So, we are very opposed to unilateral sanctions so you will never see the Cuban government adopting these kinds of sanctions against other people, other countries, including the United States." HAVANA, CUBA (RECENT) (REUTERS) SIGN ADVERTISING TRD STORE OPERATING HOURS CLOSE-UP OF TRD CARIBE LOGO SIGN FOR TIENDAS HABAGUANEX STORE ON STOREFRONT WINDOW PEOPLE WALKING IN THE STREETS OF OLD HAVANA SECURITY GUARD INDICATING IT IS NOT PROHIBITED TO FILM OUTSIDE THE ARMED FORCES BUSINESS ENTERPRISES GROUP (GAESA) BUILDING EXTERIOR OF THE ARMED FORCES BUSINESS ENTERPRISES GROUP (GAESA) BUILDING
  • Embargoed: 23rd November 2017 02:07
  • Keywords: Cuba reacts to new U.S. sanctions Josefina Vidal Havana
  • Location: HAVANA, CUBA
  • City: HAVANA, CUBA
  • Country: Cuba
  • Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA00176R4WG7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Cuba's Foreign Ministry chief for U.S. Affairs said new U.S. government regulations to make it tougher for Americans to visit Cuba would hurt the Cuban people and U.S. businesses.
    The U.S. government on Wednesday (November 8) announced new measures to make it more difficult for Americans to visit Cuba and do business in the country, making good on a pledge by President Donald Trump to roll back his Democratic predecessor's move toward warmer ties with Havana.
    The restrictions, which take effect on Thursday (November 9), are aimed at preventing the military, intelligence and security arms of Cuba's Communist government from benefiting from American tourists and trade, the White House said.
    The regulations include a ban on Americans doing business with some 180 Cuban government entities, holding companies, and tourism companies. The list includes 83 state-owned hotels, including famous hotels in Old Havana such as Ernest Hemingway's erstwhile favourite haunt the Hotel Ambos Mundos, as well as the city's new luxury shopping mall.
    "All these measures hurt the Cuban people," said Cuba's Foreign Ministry chief for U.S. Affairs Josefina Vidal. She said that government revenue funds Cuba's free education and healthcare systems.
    Speaking to reporters in Havana, she called the list "arbitrary" and the regulations a further "setback" in U.S.-Cuban relations.
    The new rules were criticized as too lax by Republican leaders who favour a hard line, but as counterproductive by those who agreed with former President Barack Obama's rationale for the detente: that Washington's many decades of isolating the Caribbean island failed to force change.
    The Cuban hotels listed included those run by military-linked chains Gaviota and Habaguanex.
    While U.S. travellers will still be able to make authorized trips to Cuba with a U.S.-based organization and accompanied by a U.S. representative of the group, it will be harder for them to travel individually, according to the new regulations. Before Obama's opening, travel by many Americans was similarly restricted to such organized trips.
    Travellers need to be able to show a "full-time schedule" with activities that support Cuban people and show "meaningful interaction," going beyond merely staying in rooms in private homes, eating in private restaurants, or shopping in private stores, a U.S. official told reporters on a conference call.
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