[ti:Obama Moves to Normalize Relations with Cuba]
[ar:Christopher Cruise]
[al:In the News]
[by:www.21voa.com]
[00:00.00]President Barack Obama announced a major change
[00:04.19]in United States' policy toward Cuba this week.
[00:07.87]He said he wants Congress to ease more than 50 years
[00:13.24]of U.S. sanctions against the island nation.
[00:16.49]And he said the two nations should once again
[00:20.72]formally recognize one another.
[00:23.65]"I've instructed Secretary (of State John) Kerry
[00:25.95]to immediately begin discussions with Cuba
[00:27.55]to re-establish diplomatic relations
[00:29.79]that have been severed since January of 1961."
[00:32.75]Mr. Obama said he also wants to see
[00:36.17]the easing of restrictions on banking,
[00:39.37]business activities and travel by U.S. citizens to Cuba.
[00:45.01]And representatives of the two countries
[00:48.20]will meet to talk about reopening the U.S. embassy in Havana.
[00:52.92]The surprising announcement was made
[00:56.29]as Cuba released Alan Gross,
[00:58.67]an American citizen who worked for the U.S. Agency
[01:03.00]for International Development.
[01:05.09]Mr. Gross was arrested in Havana in 2009
[01:09.58]and charged with bringing communications equipment to Cuba.
[01:14.16]He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
[01:18.29]President Obama said Mr. Gross was returning home
[01:22.88]as part of a prisoner exchange with the Cuban government.
[01:27.15]He said Mr. Gross and a man described as
[01:31.43]"one of the most important (U.S.) intelligence agents"
[01:35.37]were exchanged for three Cuban spies.
[01:38.96]The three were said to have spent
[01:41.82]more than 10 years in U.S. prisons.
[01:44.81]In Cuba, President Raul Castro spoke to the nation.
[01:50.00]He praised Mr. Obama's move to normalize relations.
[01:54.83]He said "This decision by President Obama
[02:09.14]deserves the respect and recognition of our people."
[02:13.99]The announcement that the two countries
[02:16.83]would normalize relations followed more than a year
[02:20.86]of secret talks between the two long-time enemies.
[02:25.39]Canadian officials and Pope Francis,
[02:29.02]the leader of the Roman Catholic Church,
[02:32.06]also took part in the discussions.
[02:34.75]The pope expressed his "warm congratulations"
[02:39.14]on the re-establishment of diplomatic ties.
[02:42.62]One opinion survey found that Americans are generally
[02:47.80]supportive of the change in policy.
[02:50.58]Many agreed with President Obama
[02:53.42]that the sanctions against Cuba
[02:56.45]have failed to help U.S. interests.
[02:59.60]Some of the measures have lasted more than half a century.
[03:03.97]To cancel the restrictions,
[03:06.51]the president needs approval from the United States Congress.
[03:11.09]When Congress begins debating the issue next year,
[03:14.93]it will be controlled by Republicans,
[03:18.11]who generally oppose the policies of President Obama,
[03:22.21]who is a Democrat.
[03:24.11]Critics of the decision say improving relations with Cuba
[03:29.19]will be a sign of support for the country's government.
[03:32.77]One of those critics is Marco Rubio,
[03:36.45]a United States Senator from Florida.
[03:39.58]Mr. Rubio is a Cuban-American and a member of the Republican Party.
[03:45.36]He reacted quickly and strongly to the announcement.
[03:49.53]"This president is the single worst negotiator
[03:52.88]we've had in the White House in my lifetime --
[03:54.97]who has basically given the Cuban government everything
[03:58.57]it asked for and received no assurances of any advances
[04:03.21]in democracy and freedom in return."
[04:04.90]Many Cubans fled to the United States in the years
[04:09.27]after Fidel Castro came to power.
[04:12.22]Some of those who fled have long supported
[04:16.16]a policy of separating Cuba from the rest of the world.
[04:20.16]They approved of actions against Cuban officials and travel bans,
[04:25.79]even if it meant their family members could not return to Cuba.
[04:31.36]I'm Christopher Cruise.
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END OF TRACK. "END OF TRACK." The two men bowed. "Whoever was that person you were talking to?" she enquired, as soon as they stood together. The took of triumph faded from her eyes, she had grown worn and weary. The roses were wilting on the walls, the lights were mostly down now. Hetty, looking in to see if anything was wanted, found herself driven away almost fiercely. I only saw Master Jervie once when he called at tea time, The year 1747 was opened by measures of restriction. The House of Lords, offended at the publication of the proceedings of the trial of Lord Lovat, summoned the parties to their bar, committed them to prison, and refused to liberate them till they had pledged themselves not to repeat the offence, and had paid very heavy fees. The consequence of this was that the transactions of the Peers were almost entirely suppressed for nearly thirty years from this time, and we draw our knowledge of them chiefly from notes taken by Horace Walpole and Lord Chancellor Hardwicke. What is still more remarkable, the reports of the House of Commons, being taken by stealth, and on the merest sufferance, are of the most meagre kind, sometimes altogether wanting, and the speeches are given uniformly under fictitious names; for to have attributed to Pitt or Pelham their[112] speeches by name would have brought down on the printers the summary vengeance of the House. Many of the members complained bitterly of this breach of the privileges of Parliament, and of "being put into print by low fellows"; but Pelham had the sense to tolerate them, saying, "Let them alone; they make better speeches for us than we can make for ourselves." Altogether, the House of Commons exhibited the most deplorable aspect that can be conceived. The Ministry had pursued Walpole's system of buying up opponents by place, or pension, or secret service money, till there was no life left in the House. Ministers passed their measures without troubling themselves to say much in their behalf; and the opposition dwindled to Sir John Hinde Cotton, now dismissed from office, and a feeble remnant of Jacobites raised but miserable resistance. In vain the Prince of Wales and the secret instigations of Bolingbroke and Doddington stimulated the spirit of discontent; both Houses had degenerated into most silent and insignificant arenas of very commonplace business. "It certainly will be. Miss Widgeon," answered Maria, with strictly "company manners." "One who has never had a brother exposed to the constant dangers of army life can hardly understand how glad we all feel to have Si snatched from the very jaws of death and brung back to us." "Just plug at 'em as you would at a crow, and then go on your way whistlin'?" persisted Harry. "Hurroo!" echoed Hennessey; "that's the ticket." "Come forward, keeper," continued the baron, "and state how these arrows came into your hands!" "Yes." HoMEJULIA京香2018下载
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