In a softball interview with Secretary of State John Kerry aired on her MSNBC show on Tuesday, host Andrea Mitchell was in awe of Kerry meeting with the Cuban foreign minister on Monday following the reopening of the Communist nation’s embassy in Washington: “The first time since 1958 a Cuban foreign minister was here in this building....Did you have a sense of history? Did he?”
Kerry replied: “Absolutely, we both had a sense of history, and we shared it and we both understand this is an historic moment....I mean, it’s an extraordinary period of time....and I think we both understand the importance of it to our countries and to the region.”
Mitchell followed up by fretting over the risk to Cuba in opening up diplomatic relations with the United States: “Can you understand their caution in that they’re a small country and we are enormous? This trade embargo is not matched by anything else anywhere in the world. And it could easily be reversed. The executive steps could be reversed by the next President of the United States.”
Kerry asserted: “Nobody can guard against every eventuality of the future. But I believe the President has taken an irreversible step. I do not believe a next president, Republican or Democrat, will change it.”
Earlier in the exchange, Mitchell highlighted Cuba’s demands:
[Mr. Secretary, the foreign minister today talked] about the United States’ nefarious hold on the hemisphere because of the occupation of Guantanamo Bay, the naval base, because of the trade embargo. As long as those two issues and others stand in the way, how far can you go toward normalizing relations?
Kerry reassured her: “Well, obviously, those are key issues in the normalization process....President Obama wants to lift the embargo, thinks we should. I agree, I think we should....My suspicion is that there’s a possibility it could move faster than people think, simply because I think the Cuban people want it.”
The first half of the interview focused on the nuclear deal with Iran.
Here are excerpts of the exchange on Cuba, aired on July 21:
12:49 PM ET
ANDREA MITCHELL: And on the other major policy initiative from the administration, Cuba – Cuba and the United States have now embarked on a new era with the opening of embassies in Havana and in Washington.
[CLIP OF FLAG-RAISING CEREMONY AT CUBAN EMBASSY]
But there's still some tough issues. Human rights questions from the U.S. Side and Cuba's fierce opposition, restated yesterday, to the trade embargo first approved under President Eisenhower and the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo that was leased all the way back in 1901. Big challenges for John Kerry in his meeting with Cuba’s foreign minister, as we discussed.
[Mr. Secretary, the foreign minister today talked] about the United States’ nefarious hold on the hemisphere because of the occupation of Guantanamo Bay, the naval base, because of the trade embargo. As long as those two issues and others stand in the way, how far can you go toward normalizing relations?
JOHN KERRY: Well, obviously, those are key issues in the normalization process, and we both said today that it will be long and complex. President Obama wants to lift the embargo, thinks we should. I agree, I think we should. I think that the measure of progress and success is really going to come from what happens in the next months as we go through this early diplomatic, you know, rekindling of a relationship. My suspicion is that there’s a possibility it could move faster than people think, simply because I think the Cuban people want it.
(...)
MITCHELL: What was the sense as you met with the Cuban foreign minister? The first time since 1958 a Cuban foreign minister was here in this building. The flag went up at 4 o’clock this morning. Did you have a sense of history? Did he?
KERRY: Absolutely, we both had a sense of history, and we shared it and we both understand this is an historic moment. I will be the first secretary of state to visit Cuba, I think, since 1945 or something. I mean, it’s an extraordinary period of time. So this has been too long in the happening, Andrea, and I think we both understand the importance of it to our countries and to the region.
MITCHELL: Can you understand their caution in that they’re a small country and we are enormous? This trade embargo is not matched by anything else anywhere in the world.
KERRY: No.
MITCHELL: And it could easily be reversed. The executive steps could be reversed by the next President of the United States.
KERRY: Nobody can guard against every eventuality of the future. But I believe the President has taken an irreversible step. I do not believe a next president, Republican or Democrat, will change it.
(...)
