US: Obama lifting some Cuba travel, money restrictions: official
14 Apr 2009 2:41 AM
WASHINGTON, April 13 AFP - US President Barack Obama plans to lift restrictions on some travel and remittances to Cuba by Cuban-Americans with family on the island, a White House official says.
"Restrictions on the families will be lifted," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The official, who said the changes would be announced later in the day, would not say whether all restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba by Cuban Americans would lifted, or whether they would be just partially lifted.
The US Congress last month approved a budget bill that prohibits the use of public funds to restrict travel to the island by Cuban Americans.
Since 2004, they were allowed to make only three trips a year to the island and could send no more than 300 dollars every three months to relatives there.
Cuban Americans have enjoyed unlimited travel to Cuba only during a five year period from 1977 and 1982. Travel restrictions were allowed to lapse under former president Jimmy Carter and reimposed by former president Ronald Reagan.
