Repercussions in the U.S. on the Reestablishment of Relations with Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba, July 1 (acn) Support and wide repercussion received on Wednesday in the United States the reestablishment of its diplomatic relations with Cuba.

Democrat presidential candidate to the 2016 elections, Hillary Clinton, welcomed from her account on the social network Twitter the announcement by Presidents Raúl Castro and Barack Obama on the reestablishment of diplomatic relations.
Clinton underlined that the forthcoming opening of embassies in Havana and Washington is a good step for the two peoples.
Nancy Pelosi, leader of the Democrat minority in the House of Representative of the Federal Capitol, who visited Havana this year, welcomed Wednesday's announcements, describing them as a path to progress.
The reopening of embassies lays the foundation for a new and more productive relationship with Cuba, she wrote in a statement in which she mentions some spheres where there may be cooperation, like the struggle against drug trafficking, migration and cultural exchanges.
William Leogrande, a U.S. professor and one of the authors of the book Back Channel to Cuba, which addresses the overtures between the two governments since the triumph of the Revolution, described what happened as a major step towards the normalization of relations between two adversaries.
For its part, the Cuba Engage lobby applauded the important step in the rapprochement between the U.S. and Cuba and called on the U.S. Congress to hasten the day when U.S. travelers and companies have the freedom to be present on the island. Engage Cuba recalled that the vast majority of the U.S. people support the reestablishment of diplomatic relations and celebrated this day that leaves behind 54 years of a failed policy of cold war, as read on the organization's Web site.
During his speech on Wednesday morning, President Barack Obama urged again the U.S. Congress to lift the economic, commercial and financial blockade that for more than half a century that country has imposed on Cuba.
Nevertheless, some Republican lawmakers and U.S. presidential candidates have opposed the reestablishment of relations and negotiations with Havana.
Senator Marco Rubio put the discordant note in this historic day while assuring it is time to "end unilateral concessions to the regime."
By way of a press release issued in Washington, Rubio added he will block the approval of an ambassador in Havana when President Obama appoints one.
John A. Boehner, leader of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress, said it was a mistake of his country's government to reestablish diplomatic relations with the Caribbean island.
"Relations with Castro's regime should not be reviewed and much less normalized," he said, cited by The New York Times.
The events of July 1st have made the headlines in the mainstream media in the United States: The New York Times, CNN, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News , USA Today, Los Angeles Times and CBS highlighted in their digital covers the letters from Presidents Raul Castro and Barack Obama, as well as the forthcoming opening of embassies.
The tag Cuba in the social network Twitter ranked second in the U.S. after the speech by President Barack Obama from the White House and was among the most popular labels in countries such as Guatemala, Ecuador, Italy and Vietnam, according to the Cubadebate Web site.