Obama waives Title III of Helms-Burton

[rabs]

Not sure what practical effects Obama's action will have, except maybe to again royally piss off the anti-Castro Miami-Cubanitos. Still, another tiny step in the right direction.

Miami Herald headline:

U.S.- Cuba talk: Helms – Burton law suspended

(The headline is wrong and misleading, and waiver (which is no big deal) is casually mentioned in last paragraph of story.)

http://momento24.com/en/2009/07/15/u-s-cuba-talks-end-more-likely/

[flamingdem]

1. Does anyone know the importance of this?

I'm curious to know if this is much of a step, since it was started under previous administration. I thought there would have to be some kind of payment to those who lost property for the embargo to be ended. I wonder if this ends that discussion.

"The talks came the same day as Obama followed Presidents Clinton and Bush in moving to waive part of the 1996 Helms-Burton law that lets U.S. residents use U.S. courts to sue foreigners who invest in confiscated U.S. properties in Cuba."

[rabs]

2. On second thought, it does not seem to be that much of a deal

Further reading shows that the waiver was routine every six months under the Clinton and even the Bushie administrations.

It's just that the Miami Herald's erroneous headline threw me off for a while.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Thanks, rab. This is the right step to take. n/t