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 Leading a ceremony to mark the restoration of diplomatic relations
between the Cold War adversaries, Kerry declared a new era in
U.S.-Cuban relations but pressed the Communist government on
democracy and human rights.
"We remain convinced the people of Cuba would be best served by a
genuine democracy, where people are free to choose their leaders,"
he said in a one-party state where the media is tightly controlled
and political dissent is repressed.
"We will continue to urge the Cuban government to fulfill its
obligations under U.N. and Inter-American human rights covenants,"
Kerry said, his words accurately translated into Spanish and
broadcast live on Cuban state television.
His comments drew a firm riposte from Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno
Rodriguez, who defended Cuba at a news conference with Kerry and
criticized the United States' own record on rights, referring to
racial strife and police brutality in America.
Speaking later with reporters, Kerry said the U.S. Congress was
unlikely to lift a punishing economic embargo on Cuba unless human
rights improved.
"There is no way Congress is going to vote to lift the embargo if
they're not moving with respect to issues of conscience," said
Kerry, who in the first visit to Cuba by a U.S. secretary of state
in 70 years met for about an hour with some of the country's most
prominent dissidents.
Cuba fiercely rejects such conditions and it declined to attend a
U.S. reception where the dissidents were present.
Josefina Vidal, Cuba's lead negotiator in talks on restoring
diplomatic relations, told Reuters that Cuba's sovereignty was not
negotiable and Cuba has no interest in placating its enemies in the
United States.
"We are not going to make a decision to try to please or respond to
people who don't want our well-being," Vidal said in an interview.
"Cuba will never do anything, nor will it move its position one
millimeter to try to respond."
While the tone in U.S.-Cuban relations has improved greatly since
detente was announced in December, the blunt statements and rebukes
underscored how far the two countries are from normal relations
after decades of hostilities that outlived the Cold War.
Both sides stressed Friday that the path toward normalization of
overall relations would be lengthy and suffer occasional setbacks.
Cuba wants the United States to end its economic embargo of the
island, return the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay in eastern Cuba
and halt radio and television signals beamed into Cuba.
The United States is seeking the return of fugitives granted asylum
in Cuba and backs the claims of Americans whose property was
nationalized in the years after Fidel Castro seized power in a 1959
revolution.
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SUN SHINES ON SEASIDE CEREMONY
The sunlit ceremony at the embassy overlooking the Malecon, the
broad esplanade along Havana's seafront, was a major symbolic step
on a path that opened last December when President Barack Obama and
President Raul Castro announced they would seek to normalize ties.
Three retired Marines who last lowered the flag in 1961 took part in
the ceremony, handing a new flag to the Marine Color Guard. As the
flag was raised, there were loud cheers and applause from the crowd
of U.S. and Cuban dignitaries and longtime proponents of U.S.-Cuban
engagement, and from people watching from neighboring balconies.
The United States and Cuba formally renewed diplomatic relations and
upgraded their diplomatic missions to embassies almost four weeks
ago. While the Cubans celebrated with a flag-raising in Washington
on July 20, the Americans waited until Kerry could travel to Havana.
He took advantage of his trip to reassure Cuban dissidents of
continued support from Washington.
"Kerry's message was that the United States would continue to
support democracy and pressing the subject of human rights in Cuba,"
said Martha Beatriz Roque, one of 75 former political prisoners
jailed in what is known as the Black Spring of 2003.
But dissidents were not invited to the flag-raising in deference to
the Cuban government, drawing sharp rebukes from opponents of the
opening to Cuba, who say Havana has made no concessions in exchange
for diplomatic ties.
"Secretary Kerry's visit is especially insulting for Cuba's
dissidents," said Jeb Bush, a Republican candidate for next year's
U.S. presidential election. He is also a former governor of Florida,
home to the biggest Cuban emigre population.
"That courageous Cubans whose only crime is to speak out for freedom
and democracy will be kept away from the official ceremony opening
the U.S. Embassy is yet another concession to the Castros," Bush
said.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta and Lesley Wroughton; Additional
reporting by Marc Frank; Writing by Daniel Trotta and David Storey;
Editing by Frances Kerry, Kieran Murray and Mary Milliken)
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