AS IT IS 2015-12-18 Obama Says He Is Eager to See Cuba

AS IT IS 2015-12-18 Obama Says He Is Eager to See Cuba

Before U.S. President Barack Obama leaves office, he wants to visit Cuba.

But only if he can meet with pro-democracy dissidents. 

Obama told Yahoo News on Monday that part of a deal to visit Cuba must include the chance “to talk to everybody.”

“I’ve made very clear in my conversations directly with President [Raul] Castro that we would continue to reach out to those who want…free expression inside of Cuba,” the president said.

The United States and Cuba ended diplomatic relations on January 3, 1961, but reopened relations July 15.

Obama said he hopes “sometime next year” he will see progress in Cuba’s human rights record. Then a visit can be made to the Caribbean island nation.

A visit to Cuba will show Obama a different side of the island. When he took office, he vowed¹ to close the U.S. military’s prison at Guantanamo Bay. It holds 107 suspected terrorists. Not all were charged or convicted. Obama says he still intends to close the prison.

Congress is opposed to moving any of the Guantanamo inmates³.

The last and only American president to visit Cuba while in office was Calvin Coolidge. Coolidge traveled there in January 1928.

Words in This Story

conversations - n. discussions; talks

vowed - v. promised

convicted - adj. being found guilty of a crime

inmate² – n.  a person who is kept in a prison

1 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

2 inmate   

n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人

参考例句：

• I am an inmate of that hospital.我住在那家医院。
• The prisoner is his inmate.那个囚犯和他同住一起。

3 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》