U.S. Citizens Finally Free Visit Cuba

President of the United States (U.S.), Barack Obama will relax the Cuba embargo regulations that prohibit their citizens to visit Cuba. With this, students and U.S. missionaries can freely enter the communist country without the need to deal with strict rules.

Statement of the White House, Friday, January 14, 2011, quoted by the Associated Press page, students who wish to study Cuba and the missionaries of the church can freely go to Cuba.

U.S. citizens are now allowed to send money up to U.S. $ 500 to relatives in Cuba, as long as they are not members of the Cuban government and Communist Party members.

Currently only three airlines serving the airport is limited to Cuba, the airport in Miami, Los Angeles and New York. However, with the updates to the Cuba embargo regulations, there will be more chartered aircraft and the airport to go to Cuba.

Requirements to obtain a new permit to fly the plane to Cuba is the airport must have customs and immigration facilities in accordance with international standards.

The change this rule immediately on orders from Obama, so it does not require congressional approval. The new legislation is planned to be implemented in two weeks.

Since the administration of President John F Kennedy in 1963, the U.S. imposed embargo for its citizens to Cuba. This step is taken following an armed confrontation between Russia, Cuba and the U.S. in the Cold War, 1962. In this embargo, all U.S. citizens are prohibited from visiting Cuba and conduct economic transactions that benefit the Cuban government, including the prohibition of investment and business

Steps taken by Obama, is considered a positive step. Pepe Hernandez, head of the Cuban-American National Foundation, said that allowing Americans to send money to Cuba represents a good advancement. "This will help increase the interaction between Cuban and U.S. citizens, it also will help the citizens of Cuba to fight for independence to the government of Cuba, especially the millions of people who do not have a job," Hernandez said, referring to President Raul Castro's decision to reduce the number of workers in Cuba.

However, some members of Congress feel the steps taken by Obama will not reduce the difficulty citizens of Cuba. "relax the rules will not help improve the environment of the pro-democracy in Cuba. It will not affect anything against an effort to improve respect for human rights, and it certainly will not help the Cuban people to free themselves from tyranny, "said a member of Parliament from the constituency of Florida, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

"These changes are harassing U.S. foreign policy and security objectives and will provide economic benefits to the Cuban regime,"said Lehtinen again.