MEDIA REACTION: CUBA; US-RUSSIA RELATIONS

UNCLAS HONG KONG 000687 DEPT FOR INR/R/MR, INR/IC/CD, I/FW DEPT FOR EAP/PD, EAP/CM, EAP/P DEPT FOR VOA/BRF, TV-WPA WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC PRC POSTS FOR PA AIT USPACOM FOR FOR CIS PD ADVISER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CUBA; US-RUSSIA RELATIONS TOPICS: ¶1. Cuba ¶2. U.S.-Russia relations HEADLINES AND EXCERPTS: ¶1. Cuba "Obama should end all sanctions on Cuba" The independent English-language South China Morning Post said in an editorial (4/15): "U.S. policy towards Cuba has been a failure. The Castro regime is no nearer to collapse than when the economic embargo was imposed 47 years ago. U.S. President Barack Obama's executive order ending restrictions on Cuban-Americans' travel and remittances to the Caribbean island is a major break with an ineffective and unjust approach. A first step has been taken; allowing all Americans to visit and do business is the natural next move in a reshaped strategy that has to end with the scrapping of barriers.... Capitalism will weaken the Castro regime and make Cubans less reliant on their government for survival. The surest way for this to happen is to allow unrestricted U.S. investment, trade and travel. Mr. Obama has taken the landmark step of beginning that process. He must follow it with a policy aimed at scrapping all restrictions." ¶2. U.S.-Russia relations "Out of Armageddon" Commentator Frank Ching wrote in the 'Insight' page in the independent English-language South China Morning Post (4/15): "The welcome thaw in American-Russian relations has brought back, temporarily at least, the prospect of a world free of nuclear weapons. The U.S. and Russian presidents agreed in London to reduce their nuclear arsenals and committed themselves 'to achieving a nuclear-free world'. Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev succeeded in reining in their respective countries, which were heading towards a new cold war. In a joint statement, they reaffirmed that 'the era when our countries viewed each other as enemies is long over' and recognized that they now have 'many common interests'. It is a turning point in the relationship.... But, without ruling out the possibility of a nuclear-free world, it would certainly help if all nuclear powers pledge never to use their weapons against non-nuclear states and never to be the first to use such weapons. Such pledges should make the world a safer place. Meanwhile, it is good that Washington and Moscow have committed themselves to negotiate a new strategic arms-reduction treaty and to have it in place by December. The main opposition to such a treaty is likely to be within the U.S. Congress itself, and Mr. Obama will have his work cut out." DONOVAN