The Cubans only have hope left.
Via CBC:
Brushing off decades of distrust, U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro shook hands Monday in Havana’s Palace of the Revolution, a remarkable moment for two countries working to put the bitterness of their Cold War-era enmity behind them.[…]
At a press conference afterward, Castro listed some of the obstacles that remain between the two countries, including the economic blockade that remains even with its recent loosening. He said he recognizes that Obama wants the blockade lifted entirely, but that Congress has refused to go along.
“The blockade stands as the most important obstacle to our economic development and the wellbeing of the people,” he said.
The return of the U.S. base at Guantanamo to Cuban control is a second major issue that must be settled, he said.
For Obama, there’s no better place than Havana to show that engagement can do more than isolation to bring about tangible change on the communist island.
At the press conference, Obama said ties are being strengthened, and he expressed hope that process would continue — even given the irritants over differing views of human rights.
“We’re moving ahead with more trade,” he said. “With only 90 miles (145 km) between us, we are natural trading partners.”
Yet for the Cubans, the glaring question is whether their own government is ready to prove the ambitious diplomatic opening is more than just talk.
American companies, eager for opportunities in Cuba, were wasting no time. Obama announced that tech giant Google struck a deal to expand Wi-Fi and broadband internet on the island, 145 kilometres south of Florida.
“The time is right,” Obama told ABC News when asked about the timing of his visit.
“Although we still have significant differences around human rights and individual liberties inside Cuba, we felt that coming now would maximize our ability to prompt more change, particularly because this has been welcomed by the Cuban people with enormous popularity.”[…]
Locals watched the presidential motorcade from balconies and backyards as Obama was driven downtown, where a small crowd of Cubans braved a tropical downpour and tight security.
They chanted “viva Obama, viva Fidel,” as the U.S. president and his family left after eating dinner at a privately owned restaurant in a working-class neighbourhood.
HT: JettieG