LatinNews Daily - 15 January 2009

Cuba: On 11 January, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Tom Shannon, said it would be “logical" for the US to sign a drug-trafficking accord with Cuba. Shannon made the comments as part of wide-ranging interview with the Spanish daily El Paí­s on US- Latin American relations. While noting that the US does not have formal dialogue with Cuba on drug-trafficking, he said that there is informal cooperation. Shannon said that given the extent of the problem and the size of Cuba, it would “be logical" for the US to institute a more formal drug-trafficking accord. While Shannon insisted that moves towards fundamental changes (such as the release of political prisoners) were still a pre-condition for any shift in US relations with Cuba, he agreed that the incoming Obama administration might oversee some form of rapprochement with the Castro government. Obama has said he will leave the economic embargo in place in order to promote democratic reform on the island. However on 23 May 2008 he pledged that upon taking office he would “immediately allow unlimited family travel and remittances to Cuba".