HAVANA (Sputnik) — "It’s possible that it [lifting the embargo] could be by the end of this year," Beyer said. "I think if there were a vote on the floor of either house, the Senate or the House, it would pass."
The US congressman added that Washington should lift the embargo as soon as possible, and underscored that the Democrats overwhelmingly support the step.
"And if Hillary Clinton wins, the pressure will stay on to this [removing the embargo] sooner rather than later," Beyer said.
The lawmaker noted that 15 of the 16 US ports that would benefit from trade with Cuba are represented by Republicans, who have a financial interest in lifting the sanctions.
Since the United States restored formal diplomatic ties with Cuba in July 2015, US President Barack Obama has chipped away at the embargo with a series of executive orders that have opened the island nation to US tourists and some business ventures.
"I think Guantanamo might be the last issue to be resolved," Beyer also noted.
The congressman explained that no one in the United States wants to see the remaining Guantanamo prison inmates on the American soil.
"In the middle of the war on terror, reminded again by Brussels today, I think the perspective of the United States will be that we need to have something like Guantanamo, some place to keep the most dangerous international terrorists for interrogation purposes," Beyer said.
The US lawmaker noted that he is in favor of closing the controversial detention facility, and suggested that Islamic State (Daesh) terrorists, outlawed by the United States and Russia, should not be brought to Cuba.
"If they are guilty of breaking American crimes, you can bring them back to the United States," Beyer said. "Otherwise it might be military operations overseas."
On March 10, US Senator Mark Kirk and 12 other lawmakers introduced a resolution to house newly captured Daesh fighters at the Guantanamo Bay detention center.
