U.S. Congress says next steps up to Havana

By Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's decision on Monday to ease limits on family travel to Cuba and to allow U.S. telecommunications companies to operate on the communist-run island could mark the beginning of the end of a 50-year-old U.S. embargo.

But next steps in what analysts expect to be a slowly evolving process could depend on how the Cuban government reacts to the new U.S. move.

"In the past, when Congress has pushed to create holes in the embargo, the Cuban government has often created a crisis. I think, at bottom, they like having the embargo there and maybe they'll do that again," said Ed Gresser, head of the Progressive Policy Institute's trade division.

In addition, a number of U.S. lawmakers remain strongly opposed to ending the full embargo Cuba as long as the island remains under communist control.

The White House announced the decision just days before Obama travels to Trinidad for the Summit of Americas meeting with other regional leaders, who view the U.S. embargo as outdated and ineffective.

It fulfils one of Obama's campaign promises by lifting restrictions on Cuban Americans visiting family members in Cuba and sending money home to their relatives.

It also allows U.S. telecommunications companies to provide phone, satellite television and other services to boost the free flow of information on the island.

"Those are the steps that the president believes are the most effective under the current circumstances to advance the cause of freedom for the Cuban people," White House adviser Daniel Restrepo told reporters.