WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday announced changes
to its sanctions on Cuba, lifting export payment and financing
restrictions and facilitating airline travel in Washington's latest move
to ease the U.S. embargo on the Communist-ruled island.
The
amendments, which take effect on Wednesday, "will remove restrictions on
payment and financing terms for authorized exports and re-exports to
Cuba of items other than agricultural items or commodities," according
to a statement from the Treasury and Commerce Departments.
The
changes will facilitate travel to Cuba by allowing blocked space,
code-sharing, and leasing arrangements with Cuban airlines, it said.
They
will authorize additional transactions dealing with professional
meetings, disaster preparedness, information and informational
materials, concerning transactions incident to professional media or
artistic productions in Cuba, it said.
The latest changes come as
Washington and Havana move closer toward normal relations after more
than half a century of hostility that followed Cuba's 1959 revolution.
The two countries restored diplomatic ties and reopened embassies last
summer.
"Today's amendments to the Cuban Assets Control
Regulations build on successive actions over the last year and send a
clear message to the world: the United States is committed to empowering
and enabling economic advancements for the Cuban people," Treasury
Secretary Jack Lew said in the statement.
