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News > Latin America

Cuba and US to Open New Embassies in July

  • US President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro during the Americas Summit in Panama

    US President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro during the Americas Summit in Panama | Photo: Reuters

Published 13 June 2015
Opinion

Delegations from both countries say many of major issues have been resolved.

The United States and Cuba are expected to re-open embassies in early July, according to the Reuters news agency Saturday.

According to the report, U.S. government officials confirmed that the White House will notify Congress about the details of the new U.S. Embassy in Havana in the first week of July

It is still unclear the exact day in which the Embassy would be open, but according to U.S. law, the administration must notify Congress 15 days before opening a new diplomatic office.

The Cuban government is expected to open its embassy in sync with Washington.

Sources cited by Reuters say the move comes after delegations from both countries were able to resolve the main obstacles preventing the reestablishment of full diplomatic relations. In December, U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced their governments would move towards normalizing relations between the countries.

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The main obstacles had been U.S. demands for relative freedom of movement for their diplomats on the island, while the Cubans had objected to U.S. funding and training for opposition figures on the island.

U.S. officials told Reuters there is little chance that the hardline Republican anti-Castro lawmakers in Congress would be able to block the restoration of ties.

Despite the advances in restoring diplomatic ties, outstanding issues remain, including the end of the U.S. blockade on the islands as well as the territorial sovereignty over Guantanamo Bay.

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