Obama Says He Will Make Historic Trip to Cuba Next Month
- President says he will raise human rights issues 'directly'
- Opponents of easing relations fault president over trip
President Barack Obama waves as he walks out of the residence toward Marine One while departing the White House on Feb. 10, 2016 in Washington.
Photographer: Olivier Douliery - Pool / Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
President Barack Obama said Thursday that he will travel to Cuba next month in a history-making reset 55 years after the U.S. broke diplomatic ties with the Communist island nation amid the angst of the Cold War.
The trip follows years of diplomatic maneuvering and months of final negotiations between Obama’s administration and the regime of Cuban President Raul Castro. It was a top item on Obama’s wish list before he leaves office, even as Cuba continues to draw condemnation for human-rights abuses and the U.S. Congress resists lifting the trade embargo against Cuba.