|
The Obama
administration is also examining ways of loosening U.S.
congressional restrictions on travel by Americans to the
Communist-ruled island, the newspaper reported.
On Friday, U.S. Marines hoisted the American flag at the U.S.
Embassy in Cuba for the first time in 54 years at a ceremony led
by Secretary of State John Kerry that marked the restoration of
diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana.
A bill is pending in the U.S. Senate to remove the travel ban on
Americans and a more ambitious measure to rescind the
decades-old U.S. economic embargo. But the steps face strong
opposition from the Republican leadership in control of the
Senate and the House of Representatives.
Americans currently going to Cuba for authorized reasons such as
family or business visits travel there generally on charter
flights.
The Journal said the administration and the U.S. airline
industry were united behind efforts to resume scheduled airline
service to Cuba.
"We’re committed to it, there’s good will on both sides and
we’re continuing to talk,” the newspaper quoted a State
Department official as saying, adding that a deal by the end of
the year “is certainly our hope.”
The White House and State Department did not immediately respond
to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Peter Cooney; Editing by Ken Wills)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
|
