Ex-Adviser to Obama: US Policy Toward Cuba in Past 50 Years Lacked Respect

MEXICO (Sputnik) — Restrepo, who worked with Obama during both his election campaigns, says that the incumbent US President believed that the confrontation between the two countries "does not work very well."

"Determining the fate of Cuba is not a decision to be made in Washington or in Miami [by Cuban refugees]. This choice must be made by Cuban people themselves. Unfortunately, the US policy of the last 50 years had not helped that cause," Restrepo said.

According to Restrepo, the current thaw in relations between Cuba and the United States is a major example of the modernization of Washington's relationship with Latin America and the Caribbean.

Restrepo added that the United States had proposed to generate "spaces for creating more connections between the people of Cuba and the people of the United States" noting, however, that eliminating all the barriers between the two countries, including trade embargo and sanctions, "will take time."

"If we see further changes, in particular political changes in Cuba, we will have plenty of opportunities for the changes [in bilateral relations]," Restrepo said.

Diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba were cut off in 1961 because of antagonism between Washington and the communist government in Havana. In December 2014, US President Barack Obama announced plans to normalize relations with the Caribbean nation.