President Obama Answers Critics, Defends Trip To Cuba
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – President Barack Obama is defending his plan to visit Cuba next week.
He said he plans to meet with dissidents and is hoping to expand U.S. business activity on the island to slowly help bring democratic reforms.
"It was my view that a policy that hasn't worked for 50 years, since I was born, demands a re-evaluation," he told CNN en Espanol.
The president outlined his Cuba trip to CNN en Espanol, answering critics who said his trip to Cuba will legitimize a government that tramples on human rights.
"They're absolutely wrong. We will speak out about human rights, and during my visit I intend to visit with dissidents who are critics of the Cuban government," he said.
During his two day visit, the president will meet with Cuban Leader Raul Castro, but not his older brother Fidel.
He'll attend an exhibition baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team.
The Wall Street Journal reports American companies Marriott, Starwood and AT&T may announce deals to do business in Cuba.
The president said expanding the U.S. presence in Cuba is the best way to promote American values.
"The more that U.S. businesses are engaged there, the more Americans that visit and the more Cuban Americans that visit their families, the more likely we will see the changes we are all hoping for," he said.
The president said he recognizes U.S. business expansion is limited by the U.S. embargo.
He said he hopes the next president will be able to lift the 56-year-old embargo once and for all.
