• Submitted by: manso
• Politics and Government
• 09 / 27 / 2010

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For close to two decades, the Cuban government has issued a scathing annual report against the American trade embargo. But this year, the report—released last week—offered an unexpected and conciliatory twist.

The document acknowledged that the Obama administration cannot end the embargo on its own and offered steps that Washington could take to unilaterally lessen its scope. Among them: permitting more religious, academic, and cultural groups to travel to Cuba.

The White House decided to take some of these steps several months ago (insiders say the administration is waiting to announce them until after the November elections).

Yet, in light of Cuba’s recent decisions to release political prisoners and spearhead a major shift in economic policy, the report’s striking change in tone appears to be an olive branch directed at the world and at the White House, says Ted Piccone, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Source: www.newsweek.com/2010/09/26/cuba-extends-olive-branch-to-u-s-on-embargo....