Ending embargo of Cuba will take time - US official

US official: Ending embargo of Cuba will take time
The Associated Press

HAVANA
U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker wrapped up her visit to Cuba on
Wednesday by saying both sides need to learn more about each other as
they work to improve relations.

She also reiterated the President Barack Obama wants to see an end to
the U.S. trade embargo against the communist-ruled island, but cautioned
that won't happen quickly.

"The president wants to see the embargo lifted, but the president
realizes it will take time," she said, alluding to the fact that many
Republican lawmakers and some Democrats oppose lifting the embargo at
this stage.

Pritzker said that the delegation she led to Havana came to begin a
dialogue about economic regulation so both sides "can learn from one
another."

She said Cuba's dual currency system is a challenge for outside business
interests and the island's regulatory system isn't adequate to attract
large investment.

Earlier in the day, Pritzker urged the Cuban government to let private
enterprise thrive and to give its citizens greater access to the Internet.

"We urge President Castro and his government to make it easier for Cuban
citizens to trade and travel more freely, to enjoy the fruits of their
labor, to access the Internet and to (be) hired directly by foreign
companies," she said.

Pritzker, who brought a delegation of officials from the U.S. Treasury,
Commerce and State departments, opened her visit Tuesday with a stop at
the Mariel free trade zone outside the capital of Havana.

She is the most senior U.S. official to travel to Cuba since Secretary
of State John Kerry visited Aug. 14 for a flag-raising ceremony outside
the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana, which is now upgraded to a full
embassy following restoration of relations in July.

Cuba's foreign ministry said in a statement that the goal of the
meetings with Pritzker's group was an "exchange over the reach and
limitations of the measures recently taken by the U.S. government to
modify some aspects of the application of the embargo against Cuba."

Since the Dec. 17 announcement that the former Cold War foes would work
toward normalization of relations, the Obama administration has eased
some economic restrictions on Cuba. While the trade embargo remains in
place under U.S. law, Obama is allowing U.S. firms to send supplies to
private Cuban businesses and export telephones, computers and Internet
technology.

The U.S. government has also eliminated the previous limit on
remittances that people can send to relatives on the island, among other
measures.

Source: US official: Ending embargo of Cuba will take time | News &
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