White House Does Not Rule Out Raul Castro's Visit to the U.S.

One day after the presidents of the United States and Cuba announced the beginning of the normalization of relations, the White House spokesperson responded to questions about the possibility of Raul Castro visiting the country, stating that such a possibility is not ruled out. However, a group of opponents of Obama's policy in Congress has announced from day one that they will work to prevent the normalization of diplomatic relations. The U.S. government is sending Roberta Jackson, an assistant secretary of state and a senior diplomatic official, to Havana next month in January. According to Roberta Jackson, this trip is intended to initiate discussions on the resumption of diplomatic relations. Josh Earnest, the White House spokesperson, cited Barack Obama's trips to Myanmar or China as examples and also mentioned the reciprocal visits of officials from those countries to the U.S. According to Mr. Earnest, such connections with leaders of countries can be beneficial for human rights issues and 'highlighting the shortcomings of other countries' in this regard. While news agencies report gatherings in the streets and celebrations in Cuba, and countries around the world from East Asia to South America, as well as some international figures like the UN Secretary-General, welcome the normalization of relations, a group of U.S. lawmakers has strongly criticized the President's decision and stated that they will work against lifting sanctions. This group of congressional representatives opposes normalization of relations, criticizing issues such as Cuba's 'lack of freedom.' Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who is of Cuban descent, is considered one of the staunchest opponents of normalization. He described Obama's action as a victory for the Cuban government, stating that 'the White House has given everything to Cuba without receiving any binding commitments in return.' Mr. Rubio also stated that Congress, which will have a Republican majority, will not lift sanctions against Cuba. Since the U.S. Congress is the main body responsible for lifting sanctions, it is unclear when the decades-old sanctions against Havana will be lifted and whether such a thing is possible in the near future.