US President Barack Obama’s administration is expected to announce an agreement with Cuba early next month to reopen embassies and restore diplomatic relations severed more than five decades ago, US sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.
The two sides hope to conclude the deal by the first week of next month, clearing the way for US Secretary of State John Kerry to visit Havana soon afterward for a flag-raising ceremony to upgrade the US Interests Section to a full-scale embassy, the sources said.
Since a breakthrough between the two former Cold War rivals announced in December last year, negotiators have settled all but a few differences and are confident they would soon be resolved, several sources told reporters.
They said the exact timetable for the formal embassy opening was unclear because of Kerry’s recovery from a broken leg suffered in a May 31 biking accident in France, as well as the looming June 30 deadline for a final nuclear deal with Iran, which is set to dominate Kerry’s schedule over the coming weeks.
Restoration of relations would be the latest phase in a normalization process, which is expected to move slowly because of lingering problems over issues such as Cuba’s human rights record. A US embargo is to remain in place, and only US Congress can lift it.
The sources said the administration hoped to formally notify Congress within the next two weeks of its intention to reopen the Havana embassy. The US Department of State is required by law to give Congress at least 15 days’ notice of such an action.
The Cuban government is likely to act in sync with the US on the reopening of the embassies, issuing its own announcement on restoring ties, one source said. However, it was unclear how fast the two sides would act in naming ambassadors.
As part of its preparations to turn the Cuban Interests Section in Washington into a full-fledged embassy, Havana erected a large flagpole on the front lawn of the building on Wednesday. The flag itself is to await the formal announcement of relations.
Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro pledged full restoration of ties on Dec. 17 last year. The two leaders met in Panama in mid-April.
Cuba was formally removed from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism late last month, a critical step toward rapprochement 54 years after Washington cut off relations at the height of the Cold War and imposed an economic embargo.
US and Cuban negotiators have resolved all but a few minor differences since the last round of high-level talks last month in Washington, the sources said.
The main obstacles had been US demands for relative freedom of movement for their diplomats on the island, comparable to that in Russia and Vietnam, while the Cubans had objected to US training courses in journalism and information technology given at the US interests section in Havana.
Negotiators are settling issues such as how many shipping containers are to be allowed into Havana for renovating the US mission.
US officials said there is little chance that hardline anti-Castro lawmakers in Congress would be able to block the restoration of ties.
The White House declined to comment on the timing of any announcements. There was also no comment from the Cuban government.
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