Cuba

04 December 2008 Goals of U.S. Embargo on Cuba Unchanged, Commerce Official Says  The goals of the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba remain exactly the same as when the embargo was first imposed almost 50 years ago, U.S. Commerce Department official Walter Bastian tells America.gov. Bastian said that even though the embargo's major goal — to encourage Cuba's peaceful transition from communism to democracy — has not yet occurred, the message remains that the Cuban regime's illegal expropriation of U.S. property has serious consequences.

15 September 2008 Humanitarian Assistance to the Cuban People Following Hurricanes Gustav and Ike  Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike have caused severe damage to Cuba, displacing over two million people and destroying homes across the island. In order to assist the Cuban people in this time of crisis, the United States is taking several steps.

09 September 2008 Humanitarian Assistance to the Cuban People Following Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

20 June 2008 United States, European Union Share Similar Policies for Cuba  The U.S. and the European Union have common goals for Cuba, and they start with the release of political prisoners, a healthy respect for political opposition leaders and free and fair elections for the Cuban people.

21 May 2008 Bush Calls for Meaningful Changes in Cuba  President Bush says "so-called reforms" by the Cuban regime of Raúl Castro must be accompanied by meaningful change, which includes the release of more than 200 political prisoners and economic moves that open up Cuba's inefficient state-run markets. Related:
 • Remarks by President Bush on Cuba, Marks Day of Solidarity
 • Fact Sheet: Promoting Democracy in Cuba
 • State’s Shannon’s Briefing on Solidarity with the Cuban People

20 May 2008 Cuba Solidarity Day Offers Hope for Cuban Political Prisoners  Cuba Solidarity Day May 21 is designed to offer hope to the hundreds of political prisoners being held in Cuba’s prisons, says Thomas Shannon, the State Department’s assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere affairs.

24 February 2008 Statement by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Cuba’s Transition  At this significant moment in Cuba’s history, we reaffirm our belief that the Cuban people have an inalienable right to participate in an open and comprehensive dialogue about their country’s future, free of fear and repression, and to choose their leaders in democratic elections.

20 February 2008 United States Ready To Help Cubans Realize Liberty, Bush Says  The change from the regime of Fidel Castro should offer the Cuban people an opportunity to pursue democracy, and the U.S. is ready to help Cuba realize this possibility, President Bush says.

24 October 2007 President Bush Discusses Cuba Policy  "Now is the time to support the democratic movements growing on the island. Now is the time to stand with the Cuban people as they stand up for their liberty. And now is the time for the world to put aside its differences and prepare for Cuban's transition to a future of freedom and progress and promise."
see also Fact Sheet: Encouraging Freedom, Justice, and Prosperity in Cuba

23 October 2007 White House Briefing on President Bush's Upcoming Speech on Cuba

21 March 2007 Cuban Repression of Journalists Deemed To Have Worsened  On the fourth anniversary of the Cuban regime’s crackdown on dissidents, observers of Cuba agree that the country’s communist government continues to attack press freedom, and that harassment and repression against independent journalists have worsened.

21 February 2007 U.S. Commerce Secretary Defends Trade Embargo on Cuba  U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez says it is “naïve” to suggest that lifting the long-running U.S. trade embargo on Cuba would weaken the Cuban communist regime and force change on the Caribbean island.

17 October 2006 European Nations Form New Group in Support of Democratic Cuba   A new group, consisting of nations from Central and Eastern Europe, is forming to help promote the transition to democracy in Cuba.

28 September 2006 U.N. Official Criticizes Cuba's Human Rights Record  A U.N. official has issued a harsh denunciation of Cuba's human rights record, saying the Cuban regime censors and imprisons political dissidents.

23 August 2006 "Slow-Motion Transfer of Power" in Cuba, Says U.S. Official  Since Cuban dictator Fidel Castro's July intestinal surgery forced him to transfer power to his brother Raul, the institutions of Cuba's totalitarian apparatus are probably "in a process … of negotiation as they attempt to determine what the power-sharing arrangements will be" in the post-Castro era, according to Thomas Shannon, U.S. assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.

18 August 2006 Lifting Embargo on Cuba "Still on the Table," U.S. Official Says  The EU and other members of the global community can play an important role in helping Cuba make a transition to democracy, says Thomas Shannon, the U.S. State Department's assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs.

14 August 2006 New U.S. Policy Aims To Support Cuban Families' Reunification The Bureau of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced changes to its existing policy that will support the reunification of families separated by the regime of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro by reducing the backlog for those waiting for family-based immigrant visas, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

11 August 2006 U.S. Officials See Cuba Beginning Process of Political Change   While the health of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro remains a matter of great speculation, it seems evident that Cuba is at the beginning of political change, says Thomas Shannon, the U.S. State Department's assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs.

04 August 2006 Rice Reaches Out to Cuban People Via Radio and TV Marti  U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reiterated the United States’ support for a free and democratic Cuba in an address broadcast to the people of Cuba via Radio and TV Marti.

03 August 2006 U.S. Prepared To Support Democratic Transition in Cuba   The goal of the U.S. is a free and democratic Cuba and America stands ready to provide substantial support to such a transition, says President Bush. "It has long been the hope of the United States to have a free, independent, and democratic Cuba as a close friend and neighbor," Bush said in a statement. "In the event of a transition in the Cuban government, we stand ready to provide humanitarian assistance as needed to help the Cuban people."

28 July 2006 U.S. Ready To Help Cuba Move Toward Democracy  When Cuba moves away from the regime of communist dictator Fidel Castro toward a democratic government, its people can rely on the U.S. to help ease the transition, says Caleb McCarry, coordinator for the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba.

10 July 2006 Report Outlines U.S. Support for Cuba's Struggle for Democracy   The U.S. stands in solidarity with the Cuban people in their struggle for freedom and is expanding its support for Cuba’s opposition leaders as well as preparing to work with a transition government that would move Cuba away from dictatorship, according to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

08 May 2006 United States Condemns Continued Repression in Cuba  The United States condemns the continued repression of Cuba’s dissidents by the regime of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, and looks forward to a day when basic freedoms are enjoyed by all Cubans, according to the U.S. State Department.

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