HAVANA (Sputnik) – Washington and Havana will likely establish a joint committee to address issues like Guantanamo and the Cuban embargo in order to advance the process of normalizing bilateral ties, Cuban Research Institute Director Jorge Duany told Sputnik.
"After the opening of the US embassy in Havana, representatives of both governments will further the agenda of 'normalization' of ties between the two countries. The agenda includes increasing trade, travel, and communications, as well as more thorny issues such as human rights, the Guantanamo Naval base, the embargo, and pending compensation for confiscated US properties in Cuba at the beginning of the Revolution," Duany explained on Thursday.
"It is likely that a bilateral committee will be set up to continue the conversations about these topics and explore avenues of collaboration in other areas, such as prevention of drug trafficking and human smuggling, management of natural disasters, and public health," he said.
According to Duany, US officials who will be involved in the collaborative work with Cuba could face opposition from Congress.
"In the case of the US government, the logistic details of 'normalizing' relations will involve primarily appointed officials in the executive branch, working in close collaboration with the Obama administration, but it will also face strong opposition from some Congressional leaders, especially the Cuban-American delegation from Florida," he said.
The United States has been leasing Cuba’s Guantanamo Bay territory, where the notorious detention facility is located, since 1903. The continued lease remains one of the major points of contention between the two countries.
Duany believes that Washington and Havana will eventually come to a compromise on the issue.
"In the short run, the Guantanamo Naval Base should not be a major hurdle to the ongoing rapprochement between the US and Cuba. In the medium to long term, negotiations may lead to a mutual agreement on this issue. [US] President [Barack] Obama has repeatedly indicated his desire to close down the anti-terrorist detention center in Guantanamo, which would remove one of the primary reasons for the US military presence in the area," he explained.
The United States and Cuba officially reestablished full diplomatic ties on July 20 by reopening embassies in the countries’ capitals after 54 years of hostility.
In Late January 2015, Cuban President Raul Castro called on the United States to return the Guantanamo Bay area to Cuba.
Obama has repeatedly promised to close down the Guantanamo detention facility, notorious for its alleged use of torture, however, the prison remains open.
The United States also continues to hold the congressionally-mandated embargo on Cuba despite having normalized relations. To lift the 50-year-old embargo, the US Congress must pass legislation to that effect.
