Before meeting with dissidents behind closed doors, President Obama urged Cubans to leave the past behind and forge a path forward with America as friends.
“I have come here to bury the last remnant of the Cold War in the Americas. I have come here to extend the hand of friendship to the Cuban people,” Obama said in a speech at the Grand Theater of Havana.
He touted the benefits of democracy, freedom and human rights, but acknowledged it’s a “sensitive” topic and said Cuba had to decide its own fate.
“The United States has neither the capacity nor the intention to impose change on Cuba . . . We will not impose our political or economic system on you. We recognize that every country, every people must chart its own course and shape its own model,” he said.
During his meeting later with a half-dozen dissidents, Obama acknowledged Cuba remains a dictatorship.
“There are people here who have been detained. Some in the past, some very recently,” he said. “I want to thank all of them for being here. It requires oftentimes great courage to be active in civic life here in Cuba.”
Obama said he hoped by listening to the dissidents, the US would be able to “refine our policy” to help Cubans live freely.
According to the human rights group Comision Cubana de Derechos Humanos, there were 2,555 detentions for political reasons in Cuba in January and February — a number Communist President Raul Castro overlooked Monday when he claimed his country doesn’t have a single political prisoner.
After Obama’s address, the first family went to an exhibition baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team. Obama got a standing ovation and sat next to Castro behind home plate. Among Obama’s greeters were former big-leaguers Dave Winfield, Joe Torre and Derek Jeter.
GOP presidential candidates Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and John Kasich condemned Obama for continuing his Cuba trip despite the Brussels terror attacks.
Obama told ESPN from the baseball game that the goal of terrorists is to disrupt life and the US must stand up by showing resilience and strength.
