Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Governor Bill Richardson (D-N.M.), today said that he was, “utterly and positively surprised that President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace prize.” Richardson’s remarks came during an event hosted by the New Democrat Network.

Richardson, who spent a week in Cuba talking to leaders from various Latin speaking nations, said that he would like to see “our new Nobel Peace Prize winning president…pay more attention to Latin America.”

Richardson, who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination against Obama before dropping out in early 2008, called for a new alliance of progress with Latin American countries to focus on micro-lending, education, health care, new aid efforts and capitalization.

The Governor of New Mexico also commented on the recent selection of Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

“This is our hemisphere, where we have shared generations of culture, and brotherhood…somehow, we’re ignoring the fact that one of the most dynamic countries in the world, Brazil, just overwhelmed us with the Olympic site,” he said.

Richardson closed by asking to see more U.S. free trade agreements with Cuba. “We need to get rid of the travel ban… the embargo has not worked.”

By Courtney Ann Jackson-Talk Radio News Service

American’s restrictions for travel to Cuba aren’t just coming from the Castro brothers according to members of the Cuba Working Group Tuesday. They urged for further changes in the United States’ Cuba policy. Although President Barack Obama lifted all restrictions on travel and financial support by Cuban-Americans to family in Cuba last month, legislators say a change in the travel ban for all Americans to Cuba requires congressional action.

U.S. Rep. and member of the Cuba Working Group Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT) said, “How do we bring about change? Only by engaging with the Cuban government and Cuban society will we have the platform or leverage to seriously address our concerns without having those concerns brushed aside and ignored.”

DeLauro said support in the congress reflects the support nationwide behind travel for all Americans to Cuba. U.S. Representative James McGovern (D-MA) said that the status quo has failed. On the topic of Americans traveling to and being in Cuba, he does recognize that, “When we are there, when we’re present, it is more difficult for the Cuban government to be oppressive.”

McGovern commented that President Obama has made a “baby step” by lifting the travel ban for Americans with family members in Cuba but he needs to do more and more needs to be done to let him know there is Congressional support for further changes to the U.S.-Cuba Policy.

“We need a policy that reflects the values of the American people and I think that the time has come to do something dramatically different,” he said.

By Courtney Ann Jackson-Talk Radio News Service

U.S. Representative James McGovern (D-MA) explains the need for a change in the travel laws in regards to the U.S.- Cuba Policy. He also acknowledges that Cuba cannot be as oppressive when Americans are present but that we need to move forward in our policy making on the subject of Cuba.(1:31)

 

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by Candyce Torres, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service. Congressman Jeff Flake (R-AZ) asking General Barry McCaffrey, U.S. Army (Retired) Adjunct Professor of International Affairs a question about state sponsored terrorism in Cuba.

 

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By Suzia van Swol, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service
Cuba is expected to be a topic at the upcoming Summit of the Americas, which 35 leaders, including President Obama, will attend this week. The meeting comes in the wake of the Presidents decision to partially ease travel and money restrictions with Cuba.

The upcoming summit will provide an opportunity to help Cuba move toward democracy, said Theodore Piccone, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of Foreign Policy with the Brookings Institute.

Additionally, the summit is an opportunity to help “put (Cuba) on a path toward change so that they can become a member of the OAS,” Piccone said.

The Organization of American States, an independent alliance promoting peace and security for North and South America, leads the summit which will be held in Trinidad and Tobago April 17-19, marking the first meeting between President Obama and many Latin American and Caribbean leaders.

by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

“We ought not punish the American people. We ought to have the freedom to travel to Cuba and that is what the Freedom to Travel Act provides,” said Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.)

Today in a press conference Senators Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.), Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) and Dorgan introduced The Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act, S. 428, which would end the current ban on travel by Americans to Cuba. The U.S. government allows Americans to travel almost anywhere in the world except for Cuba, the only exceptions are in time of war between the U.S. and Cuba or imminent danger to the public health or physical safety of U.S. travelers.

“Every time that we have brought up one of these bills there’s a downside to it. The downside to it is that Castro has always done something that really violated human rights and raised the ire of the American people who said ‘how can you possibly eliminate any of the restrictions on Cuba?’ Well that’s exactly why they do those things. They don’t want us to reduce any of those restrictions. They don’t want the inter- operation or inter-communication with American citizens…. That’s what we’re doing with this bill, we’re trying something just a little different and I think it will make a huge impact. It will change Cuba and it will change other of our policies,” said Senator Enzi.

Myron Brilliant, the Senior Vice President of International Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said that this act would help elevate our relationships in Latin America and change perceptions of foreign policy around the world. “We have been a long standing opponent of the embargo with Cuba. We see the end of the travel ban as an important first step but ultimately what we want to see is also an end of the trade embargo…. You can continue to count on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to oppose unilateral economic sanctions, they do not wok,” he stated.

Senator Dorgan said that this issue is a failed policy that has failed for 50 years and he is confident that this Act will pass through Congress. “We hope for greater human rights in Cuba. We have no interest in the Castro government except to find a way to replace it at some point in the future so that the Cuban people have the freedoms they deserve,” concluded Dorgan.

“Cuba has consistently stood out as the one country in the western hemisphere that represses nearly all forms of political dissent….. The dismal state of human rights in Cuba has not improved since the hand over of power from Fidel to Raul Castro…. We urge the U.S. government to use this bill’s introduction to begin a broader re-evaluation and reform of its polices toward Cuba,” said Jose Miguel Vivanco, the Executive Director of the Americas Divison of Human Rights Watch.

By Kayleigh Harvey – Talk Radio News Service

Sergio Bendixen, President of Bendixen and Associates; Dr Cynthia McClintock, Professor of political science and international affairs, and director of the Latin America and Hemispheric Studies Program at George Washington University, Eric Farnsworth, Vice-president of the Council of Americas and Ray Walser, senior policy analyst for Latin America in The Heritage Foundation’s Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy studies, gave testimonies today before the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.

The witnesses created a lot of attention, with people lining up outside to hear the testimonies on “U.S. Policy Toward Latin America in 2009 and Beyond”.

Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY), said: “You can tell by the way the room is filled today the interest in the Western Hemisphere”.

Subcommittee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-NY) opened the hearing by welcoming Congressman Connie Mack (R-FL) as the committee’s new Ranking Member and then outlined some positive steps he would like the Obama administration to pursue.

“First and foremost, I believe that President Obama’s participation in April’s Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago would send an extremely positive message to the heads of the state from Latin America, to the Caribbean. Second, as Chairman Berman moves forward with foreign aid reform and the Obama administration prepares its FY 2010 budget, it is essential that we increase funding for countries in the Western Hemisphere…Third, cooperation between the US and Brazil significantly expanded during the Bush Administration. This relationship needs to be further deepened under President Obama…Fourth, we must continue to support our friends in Mexico through the Merida Initiative…Fifth, I would urge President Obama to focus on Ecuador and Paraguay…and sixth, we must continue to support disaster recovery efforts in Haiti”, Engel said.

Chairman Engel then went on to discuss the attacks in a synagogue in Caracus, Venezuela.

“On Monday, I sent a letter, along with 19 of my colleagues, to President Chavez urging him to end the bullying and harassment of the Jewish community in Venezuela and to extend the community the robust protection it deserves in light of the threats it faces. The Venezuelan government must quickly change its tune with regard to the country’s Jewish community”.

Dr McClintock said: “In Lationobarometer surveys between 2000 and 2005, approval ratings of the United States fell by more than 20 points in Ecuador, Chile, Brazil and Bolivia; more than 30 points in Mexico and Uruguay; and more than 40 points in Argentina, Paraguay, and Venezuela”.

Ray Walser commented on America’s dependence on the oil industry, with Congressman Ron Klein (D-FL) backing up his argument and stated that America needs to stop “buying oil from a country {Venezuela} that is hostile to our interests”.

The committee also discussed the American economy and its ability to assist Latin American countries. Sergio Bendixen said: “We need to be realistic. Not only about what our friends want but what Latin America wants…we have economic limitations”.

Other issues the committee discussed were the desires from the Obama administration, the April 2009 summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, human rights in Cuba, immigration, drugs control and free trade.

Eric Farnsworth suggested in his testimony that Brazil and Mexico should be allowed to join the G8. “Listening to Latin America is important…the rest of the hemisphere also has good ideas”.

Chairman Engel said: “We cannot ignore our own backyard”.

The committee hearing ended after 120 minutes as Congress was called to vote.

At a speech in front of the United States Agency for International Development, President Bush reflects on the victims of tyrannical governments he has met, among them: Blanca González, whose son Normando Hernández González is a political prisoner in Cuba, and Olga Kuzulina, whose father Alexander Kozulin is imprisoned in Belarus for running for president. (1:50)

 

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Senator John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) presidential campaign held a conference call on the one-year anniversary of Senator Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) declaration that he would hold diplomatic meetings with various dictators “without preconditions” once he becomes President. (more…)

 

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Vice President Dick Cheney says that the United States’s dependence on oil will not fade overnight and that an increase in domestic supply would lower prices and create jobs. Cheney also notes that China is working with Cuba to drill for oil off the coast of Florida. (1:08)

 

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