Cubanscelebratenewsof

USCubathaw
Havanaresidentsparadedthroughthestreetsuponlearningtieswith
archfoetheUSwillnormaliseafter50years.
TraceyEaton Lastupdated:18Dec201411:24

JubilantHavanaresidentsreacttonewsthattheUSandCubawillnormaliserelations[TraceyEaton/AlJazeera]

Havana,CubaCubanshuggedeachotherandcried.Theymarchedandcheered.Theygatheredonstreet
cornersandincafeteriastotalkaboutthestunningnewsthatCubaandtheUnitedStateswererestoring
diplomatictiesafterdecadesofhostility.
"Enoughblood,enoughhate,"saidDeysiMataNuez,astearsstreameddownhercheeks."Weneed
peace."
Nuez,66,thankedPresidentBarackObamaforreleasingthreeCubanintelligenceagentswhohadbeen
jailedsince1998.
"I'veprayedforthemeverynight,"saidNuez,whosatonastreetcornersellinghomemadeclothdollsfor

aboutadollareach."I'veaskedGodfortheirfreedom."
ThespiesGerardoHernandez,49,AntonioGuerrero,56,andRamonLabaino,51werereturnedtoCuba
onWednesday.TwoothersReneGonzalez,58,andFernandoGonzalez,51werereleasedearlierbefore
completingtheirsentences.
Cubanofficialshadpushedrelentlesslyforthereleaseofthe"CubanFive"astheywereknown.The
governmentstagedmassmarchesandprotestsreminiscentofacampaigndemandingthereturnofElian
Gonzalez,asixyearoldCubanboatwrecksurvivorwhowhenintheUSwasthrustintothecentreofan
internationalcustodydisputein1999.
"ElianGonzalezandtheCubanFiveisallI'veheardaboutforalmostmyentirelife,"saidAlejandro
Cespedes,25,whosatwithafriendinthelobbyoftheHotelCapriinthecapitalHavana."Iwasnineyears
oldwhenthegovernmentstartedcampaigningfortheCubanFive."
'Twopeoplesbecomeone'
SomeCubansgrumbledaboutthelongrunningcampaigntofreethefivespies,butnewsoftheirreleaseand
theprospectofnormalrelationswiththeUSwasallpeopleweretalkingaboutWednesday.
"WewereallsuretheCubanFivewouldreturnoneday,butwedidn'tknowwhen,"saidJuanaGarcia,65,who
stoodoutsideherhomeinHavana.
Anotherwoman,RosaKarlaGarcia,41,said:"NowIhoperelationswiththeUnitedStateswillimprove.I
hopeourtwopeoplesbecomeone,becauseit'sthepeoplewhosufferwhengovernmentsfight."
"Howmanyyearshasitbeen?Fiftysomeyearswaytoolong,"saidneighbourHaydeeCuellar,48,who
runsasocalledcasaparticular,ahomeofferingroomstotourists.
"ThisisthebiggestnewstheCubanpeoplewillgetthisyear,"saidGonzalezIglesias,64,achefwhoworksat
arestaurantnearby."Thisisanendoftheyeargift."
SeveralcoworkersnoddedasIglesiascontinued."We'renotbadpeople,"hesaid."Wehavenothingagainst
theAmericans.Butwedon'tagreewiththeirgovernment'spolitics.Imeanin50years,whathastheembargo
accomplished?AllitdoesishurttheCubanpeople.Itgrindsthemdown.Butourprincipleshaven'tchanged."
IglesiassaidhewelcomesincreasedtourismfromtheUS,alongwithmeasurestoallowAmericanstouse
creditcardsandATMmachinesontheisland.
"Withthoseandotherchanges,theblockadepracticallydisappears,"hesaid."NowmoreAmericanswillbe
abletodrinkCubanrumandsmokeCubancigars."
StudentsfromtheRaulRoaGarciaInstituteofInternationalRelationsinHavanaparadedthroughthestreets

incelebrationafterhearingthattheUSandCubaweremovingtorestorediplomaticties.
"Nooneorderedanyonetogointothestreets,"saidYusnelyHernandez,33,awaitress."Theywentontheir
own."
Residentscheeredasthestudentsrompedthrough
Havana'sVedadoneighbourhood.Someresidents
wavedfromopenwindows.Otherspeereddownfrom
apartmentbalconies.
'Trulyhistoricdays'
Students,numberingatleast100,blockedtrafficand
wavedbannersandthered,whiteandblueCubanflag.
TheirfinalstopwastheInstituteofInternational
Relations,wheredozensofAmericanacademics,
CubanschoolchildrenwatchaspeopleinHavanatooktothestreets
analystsandantiembargoactivistshadbeenmeeting
tocelebrate[TraceyEaton/AlJazeera]
withtheirCubancounterpartstodebatetheprospectsofimprovedUSCubarelationsduringthefinaltwo
yearsoftheObamaadministration.
ParticipantsattheconferencecheeredwhenPresidentRaulCastroannouncedthethreespieswereheading
toCuba.
"ForCubans,it'sthebeginningoftheendofthewar,"saidPhilipBrenner,anAmericanUniversityprofessor
whoattendedtheconference."They'vefeltundersiegefor55years.Nowthere'sasighofrelief.Theycan
nowimaginenormalrelations,somethingtheydidn'tthinkwaspossible."
"Thesearetrulyhistoricdays,"saidSarahStephens,directorofthenonprofitCenterforDemocracyinthe
AmericasinWashington,DC.
"Thisistherightthingtodo,"saidStephens,whoalsoattendedtheconference."Wecanfeelproudofour
governments.Itobviouslytakesalotofcourageonbothsidesorthiswouldhavehappenedalongtimeago."
StephenssaidshebelievesthatlawmakerswilleventuallydismantletheHelmsBurtonAct,whichbansmost
tradewithCuba.
"IthinktherewillbealotofenthusiasmforthatinCongress,"shesaid."There'samajoritythatwantsthe
policychanged,buthaven'tfelttheyhadthepoliticalspace.Theywerewaitingforleadershipfromthe
president.IthinkthevoicesofthosewhohavebeentheloudestinsupportingUSpolicywillnowbedrowned
out."
Still,shesaid,"It'sgoingtobeahugebattle."

TheUSandCubangovernmentswillalsocontinuetoclash,shesaid."Therearestillgoingtobemany,many
pointsofdisagreementbetweenourgovernments.It'snothappyeverafter.Itishopefulandit'sforward
lookingandit'sthegreatestnews."
MikeKopetski,aformercongressmanfromOregonstate,saidhesupportsthemovetorestorerelationswith
Cuba.
"CreditgoestobothRaulCastroandBarackObamabecauseittakestwoleadersagreeingtoagreeforthis
tohappen,"saidKopetski,whowasalsoattheconference."It'sagutsymovebyPresidentObama.President
ObamawontheNobelPeacePrizethisbecomespartofthatlegacy."
Newbeginning
KopetskijoinedCubanstudentswhomarchedinthe
streets,celebratingWednesday'sannouncement.He
saidtheUSandCubashouldtrytolearnfromeach
other.
"Weneedtolearnfromtheirsystem,aswedidinChina,
aswellastheyneedtounderstandoursystemandlet's
goonfromthere.It'sanewbeginning."
DeysiMataNuez,theCubanwomanwhosellsdolls,
saidObama'sannouncementisavindicationofthe
Cubanrevolution.

USCubarelationswillnormaliseafterfivedecadesofanimosity
[TraceyEaton/AlJazeera]

"Therevolutiondidn'ttakeanythingawayfromus.Itgavetous."
Sheconcededthatlifehasn'tbeeneasyduringthesepastdecades.She'sseenhershareofsadnessand
heartbreak,butshesaidshe'snotbitter."Lifeistooshortforthat."
Andshe'sconvincedthenextgenerationwillbebetteroffthanhers."I'msureofit,"shesaid."Ihavefaith."
Source: AlJazeera

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