Human rights and freedom of expression must be central to all of our engagements with the Cuban Government.

Every single member of this committee, I believe the vast majority of American people, and this administration, as well as my leadership of my party, all share the goal of a free and democratic Cuba.

The Cuban people are the only people in this hemisphere that have not had a free and fair election in the last decade and a half.

shifting the blame to America has worked for the Castro government.

Can you categorically say today we will never accept that condition on our personnel?

These human rights in Cuba are very, very severe. There are human rights issues.

the hard truth that it has not weakened the repressive apparatus of the Castro government.

So we will never agree with the Cuban Government that in order to open an embassy, we will agree to limit our personnel.

Is it not fair to say that if tomorrow an American gets on an airplane and travels to Cuba and stays at a hotel and rents a car and fills up the tank of their rental car at a gas station and eats at a restaurant and shops at his stores, in…

I think there is so much up-side for more American engagement in the Americas.

So Poland is the example. We will examine that further at a later date.

Your government must move forward and extend a hand to the people and government of Cuba, but with the request that the hands of Cuban citizens not be tied.