U.S. Flag Will Rise Over Embassy in Cuba

U.S. Marines will raise the American flag outside the U.S. Embassy in Havana Friday, marking the ceremonial re-opening of the diplomatic facility after the two countries agreed to restore ties that were severed over 50 years ago.

Both the U.S. and Cuban embassies reopened on July 20.

The Cuban government hosted a lavish event for its re-opening last month, but the U.S. chose to hold off on its formal ceremony until Secretary of State John Kerry could lead a delegation to Havana.

The daylong ceremony in Havana will include a series of events with U.S. lawmakers and other government officials, Cuban government representatives and civil society members, a senior State Department official said.

“There are people going to Havana for this event who have not been to Cuba before and that includes some Cuban-Americans, and that has to be incredibly emotional,” the official said during a briefing Wednesday.

However, there is no planned meeting between Kerry and Cuban President Raul Castro, the official said.

The embassy reopening will allow more Americans to travel to Cuba and give Cubans increased access to the U.S. embassy in Havana.

But Cubans may not see much of an immediate difference in their day-to-day lives.

“In the immediate short term, it won’t benefit the ordinary Cuban very much except to give them some hope,” said Philip Brenner, an international relations professor at American University who has traveled to Cuba more than 30 times.

Brenner said Congress would need to lift the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba for them to see significant change.

“The big impact on the lives of Cubans is the embargo and to the extent that the United States and Cuba can now work towards ending that embargo ultimately will benefit them.”

Obama has expressed support for lifting the embargo, first imposed on Cuba in the 1960s.

Source: VOA