On Background From Biden Administration: What To Expect For Cuba & Message To U.S. Companies
/On Background comments about the Republic of Cuba from two senior-level officials of the Biden Administration foreign policy and national security offices:
“Venezuela is a priority and there will be a connection between what Cuba does to assist regional interests with a just resolution for the Venezuelan people and how we [Biden Administration] can engage with Cuba.”
“Our approach to Venezuela and Cuba will seek to be based upon communication rather than isolation.”
“Removal of Cuba from the Terrorism List [List of State Sponsors of Terrorism] will be reviewed in consultation with [the United States] Congress.”
“The Biden Administration will not be rescuing Cuba from problems of its own making. Then Vice President Biden’s beliefs while serving in the Obama Administration and later as a candidate, president-elect and now as president is about creating democracy where it may not exist and supporting democracy where it may be fragile and basing engagement upon a government respecting the human rights of its citizens.”
“We don’t anticipate decisions to enhance the role of the Cuban government in supporting their tourism sector. We are focused upon helping the Cuban people.”
“The President will have announcements to make, but I remind there is a commitment and necessity to work closely with both sides of the aisles of [the United States] Congress.”
“The role of the military in Cuba’s economy will remain a challenge for us as it did for the Trump Administration. We do not discount the negative impact upon the Cuban people. We appreciate the realities- the goal will be to promote change.”
“There have been no decisions regarding Helms-Burton. The EU [European Union] has for many years opposed the law. We also recognize the importance of resolving the claims [corrected to reference certified claims]. Hopefully, we can work with the EU and other countries to find a solution that protects the rights of those who had properties expropriated by Cuba.”
Background: The Trump Administration on 2 May 2019 made operational Title III of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996 (known as “Libertad Act” and “Helms-Burton”). Title III authorizes lawsuits in United States District Courts against companies and individuals who are using a certified claim or non-certified claim where the owner of the certified claim or non-certified claim has not received compensation from the Republic of Cuba or from a third-party who is using (“trafficking”) the asset.
“Yes, negotiating a resolution of the [certified] claims are a priority.”
“And, yes, we are cognizant of what the Obama Administration did and did not do relating to [certified] claims.”
“Given the sensitivity with members of [the United States] Congress about issues that include Cuba, unhelpful for U.S. companies to publicly now discuss changes to Trump [Administration] policies or returning to Obama [Administration] policies.”
Thomson Reuters
London, United Kingdom
19 January 2021
Mr. Rajesh K. Agrawal
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Western Union Company (2019 revenues US$5.3 billion)
Denver, Colorado
“We’re hopeful that, putting aside any concerns that there may be from the administration standpoint, that they allow us to move the money for people who want to move money to their loved ones.”
Carnival Corporation & plc
Q4 Earnings Call
11 January 2021
James Hardiman
Managing Director- Leisure and Travel Analyst
Wedbush Securities
Beachwood, Ohio
“… And obviously, what was a nice benefit for you guys during the Obama administration was the availability of Cuba. Have you had any conversations on that front? It seems like it could be maybe an opportunity going forward.”
Mr. Arnold W. Arnold
President and Chief Executive Officer
Carnival Corporation & plc (2019 revenues US$20.83 billion)
Miami, Florida
”… With regard to other matters, obviously, Cuba was a focal point for the Obama administration, opening up Cuba, etc. We'll see what happens with the incoming administration. We obviously will be well prepared. We were very actively with the first ones to sail to Cuba. And we'll be well prepared to be able to operate in whatever -- the guidelines and rules and regulations are. But we'll be prepared to again help people really want to go to Cuba see as the best way we feel, which is arriving via cruise and then experiencing what Cuba has to offer when it opens.”
The Miami Herald
Miami, Florida
23 November 2020
Excerpts:
Rubio’s office wouldn’t answer questions Monday about the senator’s position on Blinken’s nomination. But Rubio, who is Cuban American, was plenty critical of Blinken’s answers in 2014 when Rubio pressed him during a confirmation hearing on whether Obama would “unilaterally” move to lift sanctions on Cuba.
“Anything that might be done in Cuba would have to be consistent with the law,” Blinken, at the time Obama’s deputy national security adviser, said while appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “And second, anything that in the future that might be done in Cuba would be done in real consultation” with the committee.
A few weeks later, Blinken was confirmed by the Senate as deputy secretary of state. And the very next day, Obama announced that he’d ordered the State Department to establish an embassy in Havana for the first time in more than a half-century. He also moved to ease restrictions on travel, remittances and commerce on the island. When Blinken appeared before the foreign relations committee again in 2015, Rubio reminded him of his commitment, reading aloud Blinken’s previous statement on Cuba.
“I did not live up to the standard I set during that hearing and in the remarks that you just quoted. I think that I could have done a better job in engaging with you and consulting with you in advance,” Blinken told Rubio. “And I regret that.”
