Family Life

04.06.09 | FL News Team

The U.S. relationship with Cuba seems to be undergoing a shift. Cuba sits just 90 miles off the U.S. coast but the two countries have not had formal diplomatic relations since 1961. Last week, Senator Richard Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee went public suggesting President Obama, "recast a policy that has not only failed to promote human rights and democracy, but also undermines our broader security and political interests."

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro, who still has considerable clout on the island, is saying the senator, "has his feet on the ground." In a commentary posted on the Internet Castro agrees U.S. relations with Cuba "throughout almost half a century, constitute a total failure." The former president says Cuba doesn't "fear dialogue with the United States.  Nor do we need confrontation to exist." 

A U.S. congressional delegation is currently on the island talking with Cuban officials about how relations between the two nations can be improved. Both the House and Senate are getting set to consider allowing Americans to travel to Cuba, something that's been all but banned since 1962.

President Obama might follow through on a campaign promise to remove limits on family travel between the U.S. and Cuba when he attends the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad on April 17th.