Richardson Meets with Cuba’s Deputy FM

HAVANA TIMES, Aug. 28 – The governor of the U.S. state of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, held a meeting with Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Dagoberto Rodríguez, a diplomat who headed the island’s Interests Section in Washington, reported IPS on Friday.

Gov. Richardson has repeatedly said that his visit only has commercial interests, but it’s a given that he will be reporting back to the Obama administration on his trip and meetings in Cuba.  He has already publicly called on Obama to lift the nearly half century travel ban on US citizens visiting Cuba without special Treasury Dept. permission.

Besides meeting with Rodriguez, the governor also met with other top government representatives, among them parliament speaker Ricardo Alarcón.  He is expected back in the United States on Friday.