US Invites Cuban Opponents To An Event At The Official Residence, But Not To The Embassy

US Invites Cuban Opponents To An Event At The Official Residence, But
Not To The Embassy / 14ymedio
Posted on August 12, 2015

14ymedio, 12 August 2015 — The U.S. embassy in Havana will not be
inviting the opposition to its official inauguration, which will take
place this coming Friday, August 14th, in Havana, with the attendance of
John Kerry. Nevertheless, another flag raising ceremony has been planned
at the ambassador's residence where there will be a meeting between the
Secretary of State and a group of dissidents, as has been confirmed by
14ymedio. Among the activists who received an official invitation from
Secretary of State John Kerry are Antonio González Rodiles, Martha
Beatriz Roque, Elizardo Sánchez, Manuel Cuesta Morúa, Dagoberto Valdés
and Héctor Maseda, among others.

The flag-raising ceremony and the reception at the residence of Jeffry
DeLaurentis will begin at 4:15 PM and the guests are expected to arrive
before 3:45 "for security reasons."

Washington hopes this will resolve the dilemma created by the official
visit of John Kerry to Havana, the first by a secretary of state in
seventy years.

The news comes one day after Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), wrote Mr. Kerry
asking him to "meet with the courageous leaders who are fighting to
bring freedom to Cuba and invite them to the ceremony you will be
presiding over at the new American embassy." The Cuban-American senator
added: "They [the dissidents], among many others, and not the Castro
family, are the legitimate representatives of the Cuban people."

Republicans are pressuring the White House to express a gesture of
encouragement towards the opposition. Yet the Obama administration finds
itself in a predicament, since the Cuban government might interpret its
Washington's approach to the opposition as an offense at a moment when
both countries are trying to normalize relations, since it considers
dissidents to be "mercenaries." On the other hand, excluding the
opposition might result in criticism from those sectors that would
accuse the U.S. of being lukewarm when it comes to defending human rights.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said: "The United States will
continue to advocate for the rights to peaceful assembly, association
and freedom of expression and religion, and we're going to continue to
voice our support for improved human rights conditions and democratic
reforms in Cuba." Apart from the flag-raising ceremonies, Kerry will
meet with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, and they may also hold
a joint press conference. Kerry also plans on taking a short stroll
through the capital, according to the authorities.

Translated by José Badué

Source: US Invites Cuban Opponents To An Event At The Official
Residence, But Not To The Embassy / 14ymedio | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/us-invites-cuban-opponents-to-an-event-at-the-official-residence-but-not-to-the-embassy-14ymedio/