US commerce secretary calls for Cuba to develop private sector, allow more Internet access

US commerce secretary calls for Cuba to develop private sector, allow
more Internet access
By The Associated Press | The Canadian Press

By The Associated Press
HAVANA - U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker on Wednesday called on
the Cuban government to let private enterprise thrive on the
communist-ruled island and to grant its citizens greater access to the
Internet.
Pritzker was visiting Cuba for two days, leading a delegation of
officials from the U.S. Treasury, Commerce and State departments for
meetings with officials from Cuban government ministries and businesses.
She started her visit Tuesday with a stop at the Mariel free trade zone
outside the capital of Havana.
The commerce secretary is the most senior U.S. official to travel to
Cuba since Secretary of State John Kerry visited on 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.
"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
labour, to access the Internet and to (be) hired directly by foreign
companies," she said Wednesday at the start of meetings between
officials from both countries.
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. A trade embargo remains in place
under U.S. law, but Obama is now 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.
The impact of those moves, Pritzer said, "will depend on the Cuban
government also taking steps to update its regulatory system and reform
the economy in ways that support continued development of the Cuban
private sector and increase the prosperity of the Cuban people."
Cuba's foreign ministry said in a statement that the goal of the
meetings is 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."

Source: US commerce secretary calls for Cuba to develop private sector,
allow more Internet access - Yahoo Finance Canada -
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/us-commerce-secretary-calls-cuba-develop-private-sector-174753253.html