Kerry Leaves for the U.S. after Fruitful Visit to Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba, Aug 15 (acn) After a successful day, during which he officially reopened the embassy of his country and was able to verify that civilized coexistence between the United States and Cuba is possible, Secretary of State John Kerry returned to Washington on Friday night.

Cuban Foreign Ministry officials and Jeffrey DeLaurentis, charge d'affaires of the U.S. embassy, saw him off at the Jose Marti International Airport, after the day in which he met separately with Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and Cardinal Jaime Ortega , the highest figure of the Catholic Church in Cuba, in addition to visiting Old Havana and the Ernest Hemingway Museum at Finca Vigia.
I feel at home, Kerry had said in the early hours of his arrival in Havana, on a date described as historic by himself and by dozens of media outlets in the world, perhaps not imagining that he would find a cheerful and friendly people, as he discovered when he walked around the historic area of the capital in the afternoon, together with historian Eusebio Leal.
Heading a delegation of 19 persons, including government officials and congressmen, he visited Cuba on Friday for the reopening of his country's embassy to Havana, as part of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, started on July 20.
In this way, Kerry became the first U.S. official of that level to visit the Caribbean nation in the past 70 years, after Edward R. Stettinius was in Havana in March, 1945, under the administration of President Harry S. Truman.
During his meeting with Bruno Rodriguez, the two countries agreed to open new areas of dialogue and consolidate cooperation mechanisms created, for which they will explore areas such as the environment, health, science and law enforcement.