Historic Talks Begin This Week In Havana

Raul Valdes-Fauli, was featured in The Miami Herald article, "Historic Talks Begin This Week in Havana."  Full text can be found in the January 19, 2015, issue, but a synopsis is below.

On Monday, 78 notables sent an open letter to President Obama urging him to work with Congress to update Cuba policy to reflect "21st century realities."

"Our new posture of engagement will advance our national interests and our values by empowering the Cuban people's capacity to work toward a more democratic and prosperous country — conditions that are very much in the U.S. interests," the letter explained.

The letter writers also note that they were encouraged that "the U.S. government will continue to call on Havana to respect the human rights of the Cuban people" and the president's "guarantees that the UN Special Rapporteur for Torture and the International Red Cross will travel to the island."