Klobuchar: Opening Embassy in Cuba Will Help Address Human Rights Violations

DICKERSON: We will pivot now to another country, troublesome in the past in its relationship with the United States, Cuba. This week, the president announced he’s opening an embassy in Cuba. You have been working very hard on a bill to increase trade, open trade to Cuba. But those who are opposed to these normalizing actions point to couple of things. They point to U.S. fugitives who are being held in Cuba, one of whom who shot a New Jersey patrolman. Cuba is a violator of human rights. What evidence is there that Cuba is changing its behavior, in the light of all of these new overtures from the United States?"
KLOBUCHAR: "Well, first of all, the big news this week, John, was that opening of the embassy and the announcement that that is going to happen. I think that is going to help with these kinds of negotiations. Not only are more Americans interested in going to Cuba, so that they can use an embassy. Not only do we need more negotiations on what is happening with the economics there, but finally our personnel are going to be able to go out into the field, meet with dissidents, and meet with exiles where they are, and work on these issues and negotiate these human rights concerns.

"The pope is coming to Cuba. I don’t think he’s going to be shy about bringing up human rights issues. And I just think 54 years of a failed policy, where we haven’t seen the kind of change in the government that we’d like, means we need change.

"And I am really excited about the possibility, not only for Cuba, but for America as well, in terms of producing goods and sending American goods to a country of 11 million people 90 miles off our shore."