Roberta S. Jacobson: “It is very important that we work with countries on improving their mechanisms for transparency, for openness, and for…”

No government--neither that of the Castros nor those of third countries--can credibly make the case that pushing the Cuban Government to respect universal human rights is taking sides in a dispute between Cuba and the United States.

Our goal is to do everything that we can to ensure that Cubans have the right to determine their own future, to make their own decisions.

As we move the process ahead, we hope we can also work together to find common ground toward our shared goal of enabling the Cuban people to freely determine their own future.

The policy is based on a clear-eyed strategy that empowers the Cuban people to determine their own future by creating new economic opportunities and increasing their contact with the outside world.