Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement on President Barack Obama’s announcement that the United States and Cuba will re-establish diplomatic relations, an agreement reached after the release of Alan P. Gross, an American who had been imprisoned in Cuba for five years.
“On behalf of the people of the Ninth Congressional District of New York, I want to congratulate President Obama on his success in establishing diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba and in securing the return of Alan Gross in safety to his family. This agreement will allow for the reunification of many other families that have been separated for more than half a century by the refusal of our government to negotiate in good faith with the government in Cuba, to the detriment of the Cuban people and the millions of Cuban-Americans in the United States. The policy announced today offers hope that the United States and Cuba will develop a relationship based on mutual respect and trust, in which our people have the ability to travel between each nation and to transact business to the benefit of both nations,” said Congresswoman Clarke, who with thirty-six other members of the House of Representatives sent President Obama a letter on December 12, 2014 asking the President to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba.
“I also want to thank Pope Francis for his efforts to support negotiations between officials in the United States and Cuba. With his authority as a leader in the community of faith, Pope Francis acted to reach a peaceful conclusion to a conflict that has existed for several decades. That approach to conflict has the potential to save millions of lives in the Twenty-First Century.”
