As a result of talks that have been ongoing for 18 months, it means that the United States will open an embassy in Havana. There has not been an open US embassy there since Castro days – more than 50 years ago.
Talks were encouraged by Canada and by Pope Francis. The final meeting took place through the Vatican, and by telephone calls, President Obama and President Raúl Castro of Cuba agreed to end the hostilities. This was the first communication between the leaders of both countries for over 50 years.
One element that greatly allowed the talks to go forward was willingness of Cuba to release an American prisoner who had been held in prison for five years. A contractor, Alan Gross, returned to the United States today; and the US released three Cuban spies who had been in prison since 2001.
The new relations between the two countries mean that there will be a release of travel restrictions and on banking relations. Cuba has also agreed to release 53 prisoners that the U.S. considers to be political prisoners. One thing that remains unchanged, however, is the embargo against Cuba.
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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/world/americas/us-cuba-relations.html
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Graphics: Mine
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Keywords: Cuba, US-Cuba, diplomatic relations, embassy, Obama, Castro, Alan Gross