Republican senator sees US embassy in Havana coming soon

Republican senator sees US embassy in Havana coming soon
The Associated Press

HAVANA
The opening of a U.S. embassy in Cuba for the first in 54 years is
"imminent," a U.S. senator said Saturday as he and two other Republicans
finished a short visit to Cuba said.

Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona was in Havana with fellow senators Susan
Collins of Maine and Pat Roberts of Kansas on a fact-finding mission and
to gauge progress on talks to restore normal diplomatic relations
between the U.S. and Cuba.

After meeting with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and North
American Affairs Director Josefina Vidal, Flake predicted the opening of
both a Cuban embassy in Washington and a U.S. embassy in Havana will
occur in the very near future.

"Nothing has been set, but it's imminent," he said.

Flake and his delegation also met with Cuban First Vice President Miguel
Diaz Canel, who is widely seen as President Raul Castro's successor when
the Cuban president retires in 2018.

"We talked about U.S.-Cuba relations, a continuation of meetings we have
had before and will continue to have. We are very excited about the
prospect of full diplomatic relations, which are very close," Flake told
The Associated Press shortly before returning to Washington.

Source: Republican senator sees US embassy in Havana coming soon | Miami
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