CRI听力:US, Cuba Restore Ties and Reopen Embassies

The Cuban flag has been raised over Havana's embassy in the U.S. capital for the first time in 54 years as the two countries have formally restored relations.

US, Cuba Restore Ties and Reopen Embassies 

The United States and Cuba resumed normal ties on July 20, as the diplomatic missions of each country were upgraded from interests sections to embassies.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez presided over the re-inauguration of the embassy in Washington, DC. A three-man honor guard marched onto the front lawn where the Cuban flag was raised, while a band played the Cuban national anthem.

This is a milestone in the diplomatic thaw that began with a breakthrough announcement by U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro on Dec. 17. More than 500 people, including Obama administration officials headed by Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson, and a large visiting Cuban delegation, attended the ceremony.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Interests Section in Havana has also announced its upgrade to embassy status in a written statement, but the Stars and Stripes will not fly at the mission until Secretary of State John Kerry visits on August 14th for a ceremonial flag-raising.

On the same day, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez meet John Kerry at the U.S. Department of State.

Though normalization has taken center stage in the U.S.-Cuba relationship, both Rodriguez and Kerry admit that serious differences remain between the U.S. and Cuba. Rodriguez says the challenges of the U.S.-Cuba relationship are still huge.

"The reopening of embassies completes the first stage of bilateral dialogue, and paves the way to the complex and certainly long process to the normalization of bilateral relations, but the challenge is huge, because there has never been normalization between the US and Cuba, in spite of one and a half centuries of intensive and rich links that have existed between both peoples."

Among issues still to be resolved, the U.S. calls for Cuba to improve its human rights record. As for Cuba, Rodriguez calls for The U.S. to lift its comprehensive trade embargo and return to Cuba the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay in eastern Cuba.

John Kerry says the end of the 53-year-old trade embargo is now under discussion by the U.S. government.

"The president has called our Congress to lift the embargo, and it's our hope that over the course of development of the relationship in the next weeks and months and years, hopefully not too many years, there would people begin to see benefit that are emerging in both countries as result of this change today."

But Kerry adds that the U.S. government hasn't discussed closure of the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay. Kerry says the U.S. respects the issue, because it's part of U.S. foreign policy.

For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.