U.S. President Barack Obama left his most important speech for his final day in Havana, a televised address shown live in Cuba outlining his vision of the future. With Cuba’s President Raul Castro and his cabinet looking on, Obama stressed that the United States would not impose change on Cuba, that was up to the Cubans to do. Then he spoke about what he considers universal human rights.
CCTV America’s Michael Voss reports from Havana.
Obama called on the U.S. Congress to lift the trade embargo but said that to benefit, Cuba needed economic changes as well.
The U.S. president and Castro also attended an exhibition game between the Cuban National Team and the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday. They are the first U.S. major league team to play in the baseball-loving island in decades.
Just what impact, if any, President Obama’s historic visit to Cuba will have on bringing about political or economic change may become clearer after next month’s Communist Party Congress, the first to be held in Havana in five years.
Former State Department official Vikki Huddleston on US-Cuba relations
CCTV America’s Asieh Namdar interviewed Vikki Huddleston, the former Director of Cuban Affairs at the State Department and the former Chief of Mission at the United States Interests Section in Havana about the historic visit.
Follow Asieh Namdar on Twitter@asiehnamdar
Former Cuba Ambassador to Belgium Carlos Alzugaray on US-Cuba ties
CCTV America’s Mike Walter interviewed Carlos Alzugaray, a professor of international relations at the University of Havana about the Obama-Castro visit. Alzugaray has formerly served as the Cuba Ambassador to Belgium and former Head of Mission to the European Union.
Follow Mike Walter on Twitter @mikewaltercctv