VOA常速英语2007-Bush's Speech Gets Mixed Review From Cuban Exile

By Brian Wagner
Miami
24 October 2007

Cuban exiles in the Unites States have welcomed President Bush's speech about Cuba in which he voiced support for pro-democracy efforts. But VOA's Brian Wagner reports that some exiles in Miami say the president's latest initiatives do not go far enough to encourage change.

The Cuban population of south Florida was listening closely to the president's speech for signs of possible change in U.S. policy toward the Communist regime of Fidel Castro.

Orlando Gutierrez, secretary of the pro-democracy Cuban Democratic Directorate, said he welcomed Mr. Bush's promise to continue pressing Cuba's government for democratic reforms.

He says as a representative of the Cuban people who are fighting for change, he thinks Mr. Bush showed that he supports the resistance efforts in Cuba.

Gutierrez said he expects many Cubans on the island will listen to international broadcasts of the speech, in which Mr. Bush appealed directly to the Cuban people. The president said the Cubans have the power to shape their own destiny, and he told Cuba's military that there is a place for them in a free Cuba.

Gutierrez says the direct messages are important to help Cubans understand what is happening off the island.

He said many Cubans want to hear what President Bush said because there are winds of change in Cuba and the people want to know what Washington thinks about the developments.

Mr. Bush unveiled in his speech new initiatives for Cuba, such as granting licenses¹ for non-governmental groups to take Internet-enabled computers to Cuba and creating new scholarships to bring Cuban students to the United States.

Uva de Aragon, associate director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University, was not impressed with the package because, she says, Cuban officials are unlikely to allow its implementation².

She says Washington should instead focus on areas where it can have a real impact, such as ending restrictions³ that bar scholars and Cuban exiles in the United States from traveling to the island.

"We should do more for having students go there [to Cuba] and having professors go there and having family go there because they also take information," said Uva de Aragon.

De Aragon said that loosening the decades-old embargo⁴ may help encourage democratic and free-market reforms in Cuba, and weaken the government's hold on power. But she says the embargo remains⁵ a controversial topic in the Cuban exile community and will likely remain a part of U.S. policy as long as the Castro regime remains in power.

1 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

2 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

3 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

4 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。