Occasions our willingness to maintain with the government of the United States a respectful dialogue based on the principle of sovereign equality in order to address a wide variety of topics in a reciprocal manner without detriment to the National Independence and Self Determination of our people. This was a position expressed to the u. S. Government both publicly and privately on on severalfidel occasions during our longstanding struggle with the aim of addressing and resolving our differences through negotiations without renouncing any of our principles. The heroic cuban people has shown in the face of aggression, serious dangers, adversities, and sacrifices that it will and has always been faithful to the ideals of independence and social justice, strongly united throughout the last 56 years of revolution, we have maintained our unswerving loyalty to those who fell in defense of our principles, dating back to the beginning of our wars of independence in 1868. Despite the difficulties, we are now embarking on the task of updating our economic model with a view to build a prosperous and sustainable socialism as a result of dialogue at the highest level, which included a phone conversation that i had yesterday with president barack obama. We have been able to make progress in resolving some issues of mutual interest for both nations. As fidel promised in june 2001, when he said, they shall return. Today, geraldo, ramon, and antonio have returned to our homeland. The enormous joy of their families and of all our people who have tirelessly fought for this goal is shared by hundreds of solidarity committees and groups, governments, parliaments, organizations, institutions, and individuals who, during the last 16 years, have conducted continuous and unrelenting efforts seeking the ir release. We convey our most profound gratitude and commitment to them all. President obamas decision deserves the respect and recognition of our people. I wish to thank and acknowledge the support of the vatican, most particularly the support of pope francis in his efforts for improving relations between cuban and the United States. I would also like to thank the government of canada for facilitating the highlevel dialogue undertaken between both nations. In turn, we have decided to release and return to the United States a spy of cuban origin who was working for that nation. In addition, and for humanitarian reasons, today we have also returned to his country the american citizen alan gross. Unilaterally, as has been our practice and in strict adherence to the provisions of our legal system, the prisoners concerned have received reduced sentences that includes the release of these individuals that the government of the United States had expressed an interest in. We have also agreed to renew diplomatic relations. This in no way means that the key matters have been resolved, the economic, trade, and financial embargo, which has led to enormous human and economic damage to our country must cease. Although the measures of the embargo have now been codified into law, the president of the United States has the executive authority to modify its instrumentation. Implementation. We propose to the government of the United States that it adopt mutual steps to improve the bilateral atmosphere and work toward normalizing relations between our two countries based on the principles of International Law and the United Nations charter. Cuba reiterates its willingness to maintain cooperation in multilateral entities such as the United Nations while acknowledging our profound differences, mainly in areas relating to national sovereignty, democracy, human rights, and Foreign Policy. I reassert our willingness to dialogue on all of these issues. I call upon the government of the United States to remove the obstacles hindering or restricting ties between our people, families, and citizens of both countries, particularly those restrictions related to traveling, direct postal service, and telecommunications. The progress that has been made in our exchanges shows that it is possible to find solutions to many challenges as we have reiterated, we need to learn the art of coexisting in a civilized manner with our respective differences. We will continue to talk about these important issues at a later date. Thank you very much. Florida republican senator obamarubio opposes the administrations changes in policy toward cuba saying the u. S. Should not normalize relationships with cuba until it is democratized. He spoke for toy five minutes at a capitol hill News Conference shortly after the president s address. Thank you for being here. As a cuban immigrant one of my greatest hope is to see the nation of cuba and its people become free and open and democratic. That is exactly why todays announcement from the white house is so profound a ly disappointing. It is a victory for the oppressive cuban government but a serious setback for the repressed cuban people. The white house has conceded everything, and gained little. They gained no commitment on the part of the cuban regime on freedom of press, or freedom of speech, or elections. No binding commitment was made to truly open up the internet. No commitment was made to allow the establishment of political parties, or to even begin the semblance of a transition to democracy. And in exchange for all of these concessions, the only thing the cuban government agreed to do is free 53 political prisoners, who could wind up in jail tomorrow morning if they once again take up the cause of freedom, and to allow the United Nations and the red cross to monitor conditions on the island. The same United Nations that did nothing when cuba, last year, was caught helping north korea evade United Nations sanctions. This entire policy announced today is based on an allusion. On a lie. The lie and the illusion that more access to goods will translate to Political Freedom for the cuban people. All this is going to do iis give the castro regime which controls every aspect of human life the opportunity to manipulate, to perpetuate itself and power. These changes will only lead to greater wealth and influence for the regime. Especially the military, which controls most if not all of the cuban economy. And controls all of its oppressed people. These changes will lead to legitimacy for a government that shamelessly, continuously abuses human rights. But it will not lead to assistance for those whose rights are being abused. It is just another concession to tyranny by the obama administration, rrather than a defense of every universal and an inalienable rights that our country was founded on it stands for. In short, with these changes are going to do as they will tighten this regimes grip on power for decades to come. And it was significantly set back the hope of freedom and democracy for the cuban people. Now, i am overjoyed for alan gross and his family. He has been a hostage kept against his will for far too long. Our prayers are with him and his family because he was not just a prisoner, he was a hostage. But this president has proven today that his Foreign Policy is more than just naive. It is willfully ignorant of the way the world truly works. This Administration Just last agreed, after months of congressional pressure, to impose sanctions on the venezuelan officials were were violating human rights. A government who has spent all of 2014 killing, jailing, and oppressing their own people. And yet, we make historic concessions that supports and is behind the tierney in venezuelan. Tyranny in venezuela. The cuban government is influential at the highest levels of the regime. This policy contradiction is absurd. And it is disgraceful for a president who claims to treasure human rights and human freedom. This president is a single wish negotiator we have had in the white house in my lifetime. He has basically given the cuban government everything it asked for, and received no assurances of any advancement in democracy. Let me close by reminding everyone that god bestowed on the cuban people the same rights that he did on every other man, woman, and child that has ever lived. The inalienable rights spoken about in our founding documents. The cuban people, like all those oppressed around the world, they look to america to stand up for these rights. To live up to our commitment to the godgiven right of every person to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights exist not disreputable one in the not just for people born in the continental United States, but for people everywhere. It is unacceptable that people who do not know democracy for more than five decades is the people of cuba. That should be our overriding objective to do all we can to bring about political openings in cuba. Then a free cuban people can decide whatever economic model they want. But the measures taken today will do nothing to bring about that day and, in fact, i fear significantly set it back. Today by conceding to the oppressors, this president and this administration have let the people of cuba down. Senator you have laid out some things here about what you think might happen, which is continuing to happen based on this policy. We have seen other critics towards camp david and so on. Those things worked out pretty well. Why you so confident, in this case . Because i know the cuban regime and its true nature better than this president and anyone in this administration does. This is a regime that manipulates everyone to their advantage. They deliberately chose to allow people to come to this country, but forced them to leave their families behind. That way, they would guarantee that these people were sent back remittances to cuba. When groups travel to cuba, they deliberately stage what they want them to see and deny access to others. This is a regime that singlehandedly manipulate opposition. Time and again, the cuban government has manipulated every single concession this administration has made to their advantage. The number one goal of the cuban government and of this regime is to remain in power. And anything we do will be to urned by them into a mechanism for remaining in power. The cuban government will never let any changes that will threaten their ability to maintain a grip on power. We have seen that time and time again, and you are going to see that again in the months and years to come. You call the president the worst negotiator. He said a short time ago that he wants to work with congress to do the things necessary to normalize relations. What, specifically, can congress to in response . Well, my sense is that i anticipate i will be the chairman of the western hemispheres subcommittee of foreign relations. And i anticipate we will have a very interesting couple of years discussing how to get an embassy funded. And an ambassador nominated. About the exchange with the three remaining cuban spies, this has been rumored for months, maybe even more, that this was in the works in order to get alan gross back. What is your reaction to that . I am glad that alan gross is back. He never should have been there to begin with. Let me just take this moment to point out something that the president said that is factually incorrect. The president said that cubans do not have access to advanced, 21st Century Technology because of the u. S. Embargo. That is false. The reason why they dont have access to 21st century telik telecommunications like smart phones and access to the internet is because it is illegal in cuba. The reason why alan gross was taken hostage was because he was trying to help a small Jewish Community in cuba have access to that equipment. So for the president to say that it was because the u. S. Embargo is categorically false. The second point out make to the present is the cuban government is going to control the internet, the same way the Chinese Government control the internet and the north korean government controls the internet. This notion that cuba is going to allow the cuban people to to access any website they want is ridiculous. They are not going to allow that to happen. My last point on it is that im glad mr. Gross is back with his family. I am always concerned anytime that we trade legitimate spies for innocent americans because it sets it actually now in creates an incentive. But, i am happy he is with his family today. And i focus my remarks here today and make criticisms on the unilateral changes the president has made in policy toward cuba which i think will have a , dramatic impact on freedom on the island. [speaking in spanish] yes, maam . [speaking in spanish] [speaking in spanish] senator rubio our , understanding is that the present is doing this his remarks towards the pope. I am curious because you are , does his remarks have any influence on how quickly you might decide to run for president . I think that my understanding of the influence that his holiness has on the release of i would also ask his holiness to take up the cause of freedom and democracy, which is critical for people to truly be free. I think the people of cuba deserve the same chances that the people of argentina have had, where he comes from. Half, people of italy where he now lives. Obviously vatican is its own state, but very nearby. My point is that i hope that that people with that sort of prestige on the world stage will take it out for the cause of freedom and democracy. The cuban people are the only people in this hemisphere who have not been able to elect a leader in more than 55 or 60 years. For this government, under barack obama, to give up everything is unacceptable in my mind. This is unrelated to anything prior. Im not going to discuss that today. Do see this move as yet another unilateral move done by the present without speaking to the congress . We will study whether any of these measures contradict the spirit of the law with regards to the cuban democracy act. I would say that i would can see that many of the changes have been made today fall within the purview of the presidency. My criticisms are largely based on the fact that these are unwise decisions. The fact that i now know, for fundamental truth, that this is going to make the day when democracy comes to cuba even further away. What is going to happen here is they are going to utilize these changes to create more wealth, more funding for their repressive regime. What will happen as American Companies will become deeply invested in the cuban economy, and in a few years, youre going to see them here in the halls of congress to lobby. I saw that this week when we tried to pursue and pass a bill that supported democracy protesters in hong kong. My office is getting phone calls from companies that do business in china asking us to back off. You are going to see that here now, too. We are happy to see alan gross released from prison, but that, of course, goes handinhand with the change in policy. Would you have rather seen him remain imprisoned . According to the white house, they do not go handinhand. According to the white house, mr. Gross was released on unitarian grounds, and the interchange between the United States and cuba on the three spies with a american held in prison here, the three spies that were in u. S. Custody were not benign spies going around cutting up newspaper clippings. At least two of them were involved in direct information given to the cuban government that led to the murders of american citizens who were patrolling the streets in florida trying to save the lives of cuban rafters. President obama alluded to young cubanamericans, saying that they accept more normal relations. Which is quite different from what you are saying. How do you explain that the Younger Generation partially, because while im 43, i feel 44, and partially because, look, this is not a political thing. I dont care for 99 of the people believe we should normalize relations with cuba. I believe that before we can normalize relations, democracy has to come first. Or at least significant steps towards democracy. I think we share including the individuals that the present president discussed generationally freedom for cuba. I would say that if you want the majority of if you went to the majority of the people out there and said we are going to recognize them, were going to open up the banking sector, we are going to increase remittances and in exchange, all , cuba is going to do is release 53 prisoners they can put back until next year. Most people would say, well, that is not the idea we had in mind. Let me be clear, i am in favor of normalizing relations with cuba. But for that to happen, cuba has to be normal. Cuba has to be a democracy. The day cuba takes significant steps towards democracy, i will be the first one to stand up here and say now is the time to change policy. That day is clearly not today. You have been told that the administration would not move forward on anything regarding cuba without consulting congress. Did you consult congress . A couple points. I was aware of these measures last night, not from the administration. I chose not to discuss it at the time because i did not want to imperil the safety and wellbeing of mr. Gross, who, as i understood, was in route or potentially in route. I was not consulted by anyone in the administration until about 10 00 a. M. This morning, when secretary kerry placed a call to me. I expressed a secretary my belief that they are being incredibly naive, if not willfully ignorant about the impact that this is going to have on cuba. All of a sudden democracy is going to spring. That is outrageous and ridiculous. The notion that somehow this is going to lead to a second cuban revolution as a result that cubans will be able to buy more goods from the United States. It is ridiculous. I interact with people who have been oppressed by it every single day. These changes will do nothing to change their behavior toward cuban people. It will be just as impressive a repressive a year from now as it is today. You say that congress was not consulted well, i do not know that they consulted other members of congress. I was not consulted. I spoke to no one in the administration about it until 10 00 a. M. This morning. What specifically can you do here in congress, talking about the nominat