Dear President-elect Obama,
Your election marks a historic and welcome transformation. In that spirit we believe it is time to change more than a century of troubled relations with Cuba.
Consistent with your pledges to advance civil liberties and US international standing, and the convictions of 84% of your supporters, we urge you to pursue a policy of engagement and diplomacy, including
1) Direct the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to grant non-discriminatory general licenses for all twelve categories* of "non-tourist" travel codified by Congress in 2000
2) Eliminate the bureaucratic obstacles to US citizen travel by instructing OFAC to terminate the unique registration and reporting requirements of Travel Service Providers so all US agencies can book flights and accommodations
3) Establish a normal visa and immigration policy for visits by Cubans to the US
4) Endorse Congressional action to abolish all restrictions on travel to Cuba by Americans.
Restoring Constitutional rights to Americans will realistically enhance the freedom of the people of both Cuba and the US by contributing to unrestricted interaction, mutual understanding and trust.
It will also bring a substantial economic benefit to the US travel industry and agricultural exports and help the Cuban people recover from the devastation wrought by three hurricanes.