HAVANA — U.S. Marines raised the Stars and Stripes over the newly reopened American Embassy in Cuba on Friday as Secretary of State John Kerry made an unprecedented call for democratic change on the island ruled by a single party for more than five decades.
“We remain convinced the people of Cuba would be best served by a genuine democracy, where people are free to choose their leaders, express their ideas, practice their faith,” Kerry said before an audience of Cuban and U.S. diplomats on the embassy grounds and millions of islanders watching and listening live.
Political change remains a taboo topic in Cuba despite a series of economic reforms and the reestablishment of diplomatic ties with the U.S. under President Raul Castro, who took over from his brother Fidel.
Secretary of State John Kerry applauds at right during the raising of the U.S. flag over the newly reopened embassy in Havana, Cuba. Friday, Aug. 14, 2015.Hundreds of Cubans outside the embassy cheered as Kerry spoke, the United States Army Brass Quintet played “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the flag rose alongside the building overlooking the Malecon seaside promenade.
Across the country, it seemed as if virtually all of Cuba was glued to a television or listening to a live radio broadcast.