A TIMELINE OFA TIMELINE OFRELATIONSRELATIONSBETWEEN CUBA ANDTHE US

Cuba-US relations: half a century of hostility and hopecentury of hostility and hope

US President Barack Obama hasUS President Barack Obama has announced moves to normalise ties with Cuba more than 50 years afterwith Cuba more than 50 years after

the start of Washington’s embargo of the island Here are keyembargo of the island. Here are key

moments in ties between the two former Cold War foesformer Cold War foes.

1898: The US declares war on Spain and defeats the declining European power, which cedes Cuba to Washington.1902: Cuba becomes independent but remains under US protection. p pAmerican troops return to the island a decade later to help put down black protests against discrimination.1932: Washington abandons its right to intervene in Cuba's internal affairs.Jan. 1, 1959: Fidel Castro's rebels take power as dictator FulgencioBatista flees Cuba. The US soon after recognises the new government.June 1960: Relations begin to sour as Castro’s policies veer left. Cuba nationalises US-owned oil refineries after they refuse to process oil fromnationalises US owned oil refineries after they refuse to process oil from the Soviet Union. Nearly all other US businesses are expropriated by October, without compensation.October 1960: The US embargo begins as Washington bans all exports to Cuba, except food and medicine., pJan. 3, 1961: Washington breaks off relations with Cuba and closes its embassy in Havana.April 16, 1961: Castro declares Cuba a socialist state.Ap il 17 1961 C b il t i d b th US t g th f il d B fApril 17, 1961: Cuban exiles trained by the US stage the failed Bay of Pigs invasion aimed at toppling Castro. Over the years, US intelligence agencies will make several unsuccessful attempts to kill the Cuban leader.

Feb, 7, 1962: President John F. Kennedy expands the US embargo, banning almost all Cuban imports.October 1962: A US blockade forces the removal of Soviet nuclear missiles t ti d i C b i h t i k th “C b Mi il C i i ” I tstationed in Cuba, in what is known as the “Cuban Missile Crisis”. In return,

Kennedy agrees privately not to invade Cuba.April 1980: Some 125,000 Cubans leave the country in the Mariel boatlift, after the authorities say anyone is allowed to leave. Their arrival in the US causes a refugee crisis.gDecember 1991: The Cuban economy is devastated by the collapse of its main ally, the Soviet Union.August 1994: Castro declares he will not stop Cubans trying to leave; some 40,000 take to sea heading for the US.Sept. 12, 1998: Five Cubans are arrested in the US on charges of espionage and later convicted, prompting Cuba to mount an international campaign to free them.July 31, 2006: Fidel Castro temporarily cedes power to his brother Raul after saying he has undergone surgery. Fidel resigns as president two years later.Dec. 3, 2009: The arrest in Havana of US contractor Alan Gross stifles nascent efforts to improve US-Cuba ties under US President Barack Obama.Dec. 17, 2014: Gross is freed along with the remaining members of the “Cuban Five” spy ring as part of prisoner exchange. Obama announces a “new chapter” in relations between the two countries saying the embargo has not workedrelations between the two countries, saying the embargo has not worked.(FRANCE 24 with AP)

1 JANUARY 1959: FIDEL CASTRO'S REBELS - UNDER THE COMMAND OF CHEGUEVARA (R) - SWEEP INTO HAVANA. DICTATOR FULGENCIO BATISTA, WHO HADSTRONG RELATIONS WITH THE AMERICAN MAFIA AND LARGE US CORPORATIONSSTRONG RELATIONS WITH THE AMERICAN MAFIA AND LARGE US CORPORATIONS,

FLEES CUBA. THE US SOON RECOGNISES THE NEW GOVERNMENT

JUNE-OCTOBER 1960: CASTRO ANNOUNCES THE NATIONALISATION OFNEARLY ALL US BUSINESSES AND AMERICAN OWNED OIL REFINERIESNEARLY ALL US BUSINESSES - AND AMERICAN-OWNED OIL REFINERIES,

AFTER THEY REFUSE TO PROCESS SOVIET OIL

OCTOBER 1960: WASHINGTON, UNDER PRESIDENT DWIGHTEISENHOWER BANS EXPORTS TO CUBA OTHER THAN FOOD ANDEISENHOWER, BANS EXPORTS TO CUBA, OTHER THAN FOOD AND

MEDICINE. THE US EMBARGO BEGINS

3 JANUARY 1961: THE US ENDS RELATIONS WITH CUBA ANDCLOSES ITS EMBASSY IN HAVANA

16 APRIL 1961: FIDEL CASTRO, PICTURED HERE WITH,CHE GUEVARA (R), DECLARES CUBA A SOCIALIST STATE

APRIL 1961: US-TRAINED CUBAN EXILES ARE CAPTUREDAFTER STAGING THE FAILED BAY OF PIGS INVASIONS G G O GS V S O

AIMED AT TOPPLING FIDEL CASTRO

7 FEBRUARY 1962: EIGHT MONTHS BEFORE THE CUBANMISSILE CRISIS, PRESIDENT JOHN F KENNEDY EXPANDS THESS C S S, S JO S

EMBARGO, BANNING ALMOST ALL CUBAN IMPORTS

OCTOBER 1962: THE MOMENT THE COLD WAR CAME CLOSESTTO ESCALATING INTO NUCLEAR WAR, AS A US BLOCKADEFORCES THE REMOVAL OF SOVIET NUCLEAR MISSILES, ON THISSOVIET FREIGHTER ANOSOV FROM CUBA KENNEDY AGREESSOVIET FREIGHTER, ANOSOV, FROM CUBA. KENNEDY AGREESPRIVATELY NOT TO INVADE CUBA

APRIL 1980: CUBA SAYS ANYONE CAN LEAVE, PROMPTING SOME125,000 CUBANS TO FLEE IN WHAT BECOMES KNOWN AS THEMARIEL BOATLIFT CAUSING A REFUGEE CRISIS FOR THE US (PIC:MARIEL BOATLIFT, CAUSING A REFUGEE CRISIS FOR THE US (PIC: US COASTGUARD)

DECEMBER 1991: TWO YEARS AFTER THEN-SOVIET LEADERMIKHAIL GORBACHEV (L) VISITED FIDEL CASTRO IN HAVANA THEMIKHAIL GORBACHEV (L) VISITED FIDEL CASTRO IN HAVANA, THE

CUBAN ECONOMY IS DEVASTATED AS THE SOVIET UNION COLLAPSES

12 SEPTEMBER 1998: FIVE CUBAN SPIES ARE ARRESTED IN THEUNITED STATES AND LATER CONVICTED. CUBA LAUNCHES A GLOBAL

CAMPAIGN TO FREE THEM INSISTING THEY WERE DEFENDING THECAMPAIGN TO FREE THEM, INSISTING THEY WERE DEFENDING THECOUNTRY AGAINST US-LED TERROR ATTEMPTS

FEBRUARY 2008: TWO YEARS AFTER AN OPERATION FORCEDHIM TO TEMPORARILY CEDE POWER TO HIS BROTHER, RAUL, O O C OW O S O , U ,

FIDEL CASTRO RESIGNS AS PRESIDENT

3 DECEMBER 2009: USAID CONTRACTOR ALAN GROSS ARRESTED INHAVANA, PROMPTING WIFE JUDY AND OTHERS TO CAMPAIGN FOR HISRELEASE AND STIFLING EFFORTS TO IMPROVE US-CUBA TIES UNDERRELEASE, AND STIFLING EFFORTS TO IMPROVE US CUBA TIES UNDER

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

RELEASED CUBA PRISONER BACKSOBAMA

US PRISONER ARRIVES HOME FROMCUBA

...AND BARACK OBAMA ANNOUNCES A MOVE TOWARD THE... C O OU C S OV OWNORMALISATION OF RELATIONS BETWEEN THE US AND CUBA