Cuba-US talks on restoring ties hit speed bumps

Six months have passed since Cuba and the United States astonished the world with their surprise decision to discuss restoring diplomatic ties, but the results of the talks seem to be quite underwhelming so far.On Dec. 17, 2014, Cuban President Raul Castro and his US counterpart, Barack Obama, simultaneously announced in Havana and Washington the beginning of the negotiations after over a year of secret contacts. Delegations from the two countries have held four rounds of talks,driven by the prospect of reopening embassies in Washington and Havana, a once imminent possibility which seems to be distant now, especially considering the recent domestic opposition against Obama's decision and the fact that no date is set for future talks. Much of the early momentum in negotiations hit speed bumps as conservative US lawmakers have opposed engaging Cuba, and are doing what they can to stymie any progress so as to keep decades-old travel and trade bans on Cuba in place. The neo-cons and anti-Cuba representatives were also proposing a restriction on funds to block the re-opening of embassies earlier this month. But they have their counterweight in the Engage Cuba Coalition, a newly-formed group composed of bipartisan legislators, trade groups, non-profits and others who support normalizing ties with Cuba. The group plans to mobilize public opinion in favor of opening up to Cuba, such as launching a 30-second TV spot "highlighting the outdated restrictions on Americans that deny them the right to travel and conduct business in Cuba," the coalition said on its website. In addition, the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba (USACC), which represents more than 90 companies and state and national organizations, is actively lobbying for greater trade with Cuba. The USACC "is calling on senators to block any legislative efforts attempting to reverse progress made to date in regard to the expansion of trade and travel to Cuba," Cuba's state daily Granma reported earlier this week. While the different ideological camps in the United States struggle to sway public policy towards Cuba, the island has its own concerns about opening up to greater US influence and a larger diplomatic presence. Following the May 21-22 bilateral talks in Washington, Cuba's lead negotiator Josefina Vidal said the next challenge would be getting the United States to abide by Vienna Convention rules on "the conduct of diplomats" and "the functioning of a diplomatic mission." As it is, Washington's stripped-down diplomatic outpost in Cuba, the US Interests Section in Havana, actively organizes, trains, encourages, finances and supplies anti-government groups on the island, Vidal has complained. Speaking to the press recently about his encounter with Obama at a regional summit in Panama earlier this year, Castro said, "I specifically said to the president that what worries me most is that (US diplomats) will continue doing the illegal things they do now." Those concerns need to be addressed in step with US progress towards a cohesive Cuba policy. So in all likelihood, there is going to be a lot more negotiating before a breakthrough can be achieved.