{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-c03aa079.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-517835be.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='Ex-US envoy dismissive of closer ties with Cuba' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54cabad8eafeecae19e666' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54cabad8eafeecae19e666' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nEx-US envoy dismissive of closer ties with Cuba\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eThe former chief of the US Interests Section in Cuba has poured scorn on the administration of Barack Obama for normalising relations with the island nation.James Cason served in Havana from 2002 to 2005 under then President George W....\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eThe former chief of the US Interests Section in Cuba has poured scorn on the administration of Barack Obama for normalising relations with the island nation.James Cason served in Havana from 2002 to 2005 under then President George W. Bush.He is remembered for infuriating Fidel Castro for putting up Christmas decorations outside the US Interests Section, which included a reference to dissidents jailed by Castro's government.     Cason is now mayor of the Miami neighbourhood of Coral GablesHe told The Associated Press on Thursday that the US \"has normalised with Cuba without any reciprocity\" and that Obama's trip to the country would be a \"waste\" if he is not allowed to publicly address the Cuban people.White House officials have stated their view that Obama's visit will be a major step forward in normalising relations between the two countries, although many issues like human rights and the US trade embargo remain to be addressed.President Obama will be the first US leader to visit the country since Calvin Coolidge in 1928, and his two-day trip will mark a milestone in smoothing relations between the island and the US, which have been at odds for more than 50 years. Earlier in the week, Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Cuba planned to do away with a penalty on converting US dollars, but warned the Obama administration not to expect more changes until the US trade embargo was lifted.Though Cuba's government is hungry for more US investment, it is also wary of increased US influence and frustrated that Obama has been unable to get Congress to lift longstanding US sanctions.The former chief of the US Interests Section in Cuba has poured scorn on the administration of Barack Obama for normalising relations with the island nation.James Cason served in Havana from 2002 to 2005 under then President George W. Bush.He is remembered for infuriating Fidel Castro for putting up Christmas decorations outside the US Interests Section, which included a reference to dissidents jailed by Castro's government.     Cason is now mayor of the Miami neighbourhood of Coral GablesHe told The Associated Press on Thursday that the US \"has normalised with Cuba without any reciprocity\" and that Obama's trip to the country would be a \"waste\" if he is not allowed to publicly address the Cuban people.White House officials have stated their view that Obama's visit will be a major step forward in normalising relations between the two countries, although many issues like human rights and the US trade embargo remain to be addressed.President Obama will be the first US leader to visit the country since Calvin Coolidge in 1928, and his two-day trip will mark a milestone in smoothing relations between the island and the US, which have been at odds for more than 50 years. Earlier in the week, Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Cuba planned to do away with a penalty on converting US dollars, but warned the Obama administration not to expect more changes until the US trade embargo was lifted.Though Cuba's government is hungry for more US investment, it is also wary of increased US influence and frustrated that Obama has been unable to get Congress to lift longstanding US sanctions.Coral Gables, Florida - 18 March 20161. Exterior of Coral Gables City Hall2. Various of James Cason, Mayor of Coral Gables, walking to his office and opening door3. SOUNDBITE (English) James Cason, Mayor of Coral Gables:\"Well, it's a little bit over a year now that the president reestablished diplomatic relations with Cuba. I've always thought that that was not a particularly significant event because, if you look up the  definition of diplomatic relations, it means one country has diplomats in the other country. We've had that since 1977. I was there for three years and I talked with the Cuban government about all kinds of issues. Basically the same issues we're talking about today.\"4. Cutaway5. SOUNDBITE (English) James Cason, Mayor of Coral Gables:\"With all of the crises around the world, why this great interest now in Cuba, which is insignificant? It's not a strategic country for us. A few more years and by not acting the regime would have had to make some real changes, I think. And anyway they're going to die before too much longer. They're (former president Fidel Castro and President Raul Castro) 89 and 86, the two leaders. So, why the rush? Because the President (Obama) wants a legacy.\"6. Cutaway7. SOUNDBITE (English) James Cason, Mayor of Coral Gables:\"I think as part of his, you know, romanticism, he probably, he loves to apologise around the world for America. I think this is his way of apologizing to the Cuban regime for being not engaging with them all these years.\"8. Cutaway9. SOUNDBITE (English) James Cason, Mayor of Coral Gables:\"It's a policy that doesn't work. It hasn't worked. My view is that no policy will work while the Castros are alive. I've always said the only solution is the biological solution. When they're dead.\"10. Cutaway11. SOUNDBITE (English) James Cason, Mayor of Coral Gables:\"Do we see any more gestures out of the Latin Americans supporting human rights in Cuba? No, none.  In fact, what it's done now is that it's convinced the Europeans that they better get in while they can because the Americans might be coming. So they have normalised now with Cuba without any reciprocity. So, basically we've set an example.  We will give everything to the Cuban regime with no reciprocity and nothing in return, and so the idea that somehow Latin American governments will like us more because we have established relations with Cuba that's stupid, that's ridiculous.\"12. Cutaway13. SOUNDBITE (English) James Cason, Mayor of Coral Gables:\"He (Obama) needs to be able to speak to the Cuban people, calling for free elections, calling for a more liberal economic system, which will bring prosperity because communism has never done anything good for anybody and he needs to challenge the regime. If you want to move forward with us and normalisation you've got to do this.  And they (Cuban government) have to allow him to say it and it has to be broadcast to the Cuban people. Then something good may come out of this (Obama visit to Cuba). But if it's done in private it's a waste.\"14. Cason's framed Distinguished Honour Award from the United States Department of State    15. Cason holding a doll in his image that says (Spanish) \"Cachan, Cachan, better days will come\" 16. Various of \"Calle 8\" in Miami, a focal point for Cubans living in Miami and Coral Gables17. 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