• Submitted by: Camila
• Politics and Government
• 02 / 19 / 2015

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Three Democratic US senators who visited Havana felt on Tuesday that enough Republicans in Congress could support the dismantling of the embargo.

The United States and Cuba governments agreed last December 17 to restore diplomatic relations after more than five decades without links. US President Barack Obama has already begun to remove some restrictions on trade and travel and has asked Congress to work for completely lift the embargo.

Senate Republicans and Democrats have filed two separate bills to remove travel restrictions on Americans to Cuba and repeal the embargo.

While both projects face strong opposition in the Senate and House of Representatives controlled by Republicans, they do have some support from opposition lawmakers like Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, the main sponsor of the project on travel.

Democratic Senators Claire McCaskill, Mark Warner and Amy Klobuchar on Tuesday concluded a four-day visit to Cuba and said they were optimistic about increased bipartisan support for ending the embargo.

Klobuchar is the main sponsor of the bill on the embargo and is among the sponsors of the bill on trips.

Proponents of ending the embargo would need at least 60 of the 100 votes in the Senate and a majority in the House, where there are pockets of strong Republican opposition to Obama's new policy towards Cuba.

The United States Chamber of Commerce has expressed opposition to the embargo and has described it as a violation of the principle of free enterprise.

Another delegation of US Democratic lawmakers, led by Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic minority leader in the House of Representatives, was on Tuesday in the island. Among its eight members were representatives of the committees on Agriculture and Foreign Affairs.

The governments of Cuba and the United States will return to the negotiating table next February 27 in Washington. Havana reported that again lead the delegation Island director for the United States of the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Josefina Vidal.

Source: Diario de Cuba