Obama, Clinton on Cuba measures

President Obama said the following about Cuba in a CNN interview:

“What we’re looking for is some signal that there are going to be changes in how Cuba operates that assures that political prisoners are released, that people can speak their minds freely, that they can travel, that they can write and attend church and do the things that people throughout the hemisphere can do and take for granted…And if there is some sense of movement on those fronts in Cuba, then I think we can see a further thawing of relations and further changes.”

And Secretary of State Clinton spoke to the Herald about the Trinidad summit. She said, “We’re continuing to explore ways to further democracy in Cuba and provide the Cuban people with more opportunities but we haven't made any further decisions yet.” Asked about the disparity in treatment between Cuban Americans and other Americans, she responded:

“That’s part of our policy review. Our first goal was to reverse the Draconian rules imposed by the Bush administration, which took away privileges that had been available for a long time. And obviously we think Cuban Americans have special roles to play as serving as ambassadors of freedom and helping the Cuban people understand the opportunities that democracy would bring.”