NOTHING FOR NOTHING Cuba wants US politicians to get the picture

Posted on 12/02/2015 | About Cuba

Gov. Greg Abbott enjoyed dinner and a private concert in Havana but made little progress in finding opportunities for Texas businesses on the second day of a three-day trip to Cuba. The Texas Republican was at least the third US governor to travel to Cuba since the declaration of detente with the US last year. He appeared to be trying to maintain a low profile, announcing the trip at the last minute and declining to speak with international media based in Cuba.

According to the pool report by a Texas-based reporter travelling with Abbott, the governor dined and watched a concert at one of the capital's high-end private restaurants Monday evening but was told by Cuban officials Tuesday that there were little opportunities for businesses from his state on the island at the moment. Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York announced several deals with Cuban state enterprises when he was there last April, but in recent months Cuban officials have been using visits by US politicians as opportunities to advocate for Congress to lift the half-century-old trade embargo on Cuba. There has been little response from Congress, leaving Cuba-US trade frozen in almost every area except tourism, which has flooded Cuban businesses with hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue but has yet to generate many returns for American firms.

After arriving Monday, Abbott and his delegation enjoyed a meal in the high-end Miramar neighbourhood that began with mojitos and ended with flan and espresso, according to the pool report. On Tuesday, they travelled to Cuba's new Mariel port and free trade zone, where they were told by Cuban officials that the embargo meant there was no opportunity for US businesses to invest there. Abbott told the officials that “Texas has an abundance of (rice and other products) and a very easy ability to export from Texas to Cuba,” according to the pool report.

The port officials responded that Cuba would buy rice from other sources, primarily Vietnam, until the US allowed the communist-run island to buy on credit, a measure currently prohibited by the embargo.