P 150921Z APR 09
FM AMCONSUL HONG KONG
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7398
INFO WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
USDOC WASHDC
AMEMBASSY BEIJING 
AMCONSUL SHANGHAI
AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 
AIT TAIPEI 0268
CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS HONG KONG 000687 
 
 
DEPT FOR INR/R/MR, INR/IC/CD, I/FW 
DEPT FOR EAP/PD, EAP/CM, EAP/P 
DEPT FOR VOA/BRF, TV-WPA 
WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC 
PRC POSTS FOR PA 
AIT 
USPACOM FOR FOR CIS PD ADVISER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CUBA; US-RUSSIA RELATIONS 
 
TOPICS: 
¶1. Cuba 
¶2. U.S.-Russia relations 
 
HEADLINES AND EXCERPTS: 
 
¶1. Cuba 
 
"Obama should end all sanctions on Cuba" 
 
The independent English-language South China Morning Post said in an 
editorial (4/15):  "U.S. policy towards Cuba has been a failure. 
The Castro regime is no nearer to collapse than when the economic 
embargo was imposed 47 years ago.  U.S. President Barack Obama's 
executive order ending restrictions on Cuban-Americans' travel and 
remittances to the Caribbean island is a major break with an 
ineffective and unjust approach.  A first step has been taken; 
allowing all Americans to visit and do business is the natural next 
move in a reshaped strategy that has to end with the scrapping of 
barriers....  Capitalism will weaken the Castro regime and make 
Cubans less reliant on their government for survival.  The surest 
way for this to happen is to allow unrestricted U.S. investment, 
trade and travel.  Mr. Obama has taken the landmark step of 
beginning that process.  He must follow it with a policy aimed at 
scrapping all restrictions." 
 
¶2. U.S.-Russia relations 
 
"Out of Armageddon" 
 
Commentator Frank Ching wrote in the 'Insight' page in the 
independent English-language South China Morning Post (4/15):  "The 
welcome thaw in American-Russian relations has brought back, 
temporarily at least, the prospect of a world free of nuclear 
weapons.  The U.S. and Russian presidents agreed in London to reduce 
their nuclear arsenals and committed themselves 'to achieving a 
nuclear-free world'.  Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev succeeded in 
reining in their respective countries, which were heading towards a 
new cold war.  In a joint statement, they reaffirmed that 'the era 
when our countries viewed each other as enemies is long over' and 
recognized that they now have 'many common interests'.  It is a 
turning point in the relationship....  But, without ruling out the 
possibility of a nuclear-free world, it would certainly help if all 
nuclear powers pledge never to use their weapons against non-nuclear 
states and never to be the first to use such weapons.  Such pledges 
should make the world a safer place.  Meanwhile, it is good that 
Washington and Moscow have committed themselves to negotiate a new 
strategic arms-reduction treaty and to have it in place by December. 
 The main opposition to such a treaty is likely to be within the 
U.S. Congress itself, and Mr. Obama will have his work cut out." 
 
DONOVAN