Cuba, US ties called first step

The Cuban national flag is raised on Monday in a ceremony attended by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and a group of US officials.

Embassies open in Washington, Havana for first time since 1961

The United States and Cuba, two countries only 90 miles apart, officially restored diplomatic ties on Monday after a hiatus of 54 years, but many believe a full normalization of the relationship will not happen until the US lifts its economic and trade embargo on the island nation.

About 500 guests, including some 30 Cuban officials from Havana, attended an invitation-only flag-raising ceremony at the Cuban embassy in Washington on Monday morning, a historic moment recorded by some 200 journalists from across the street.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez presided over the ceremony, while US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson and Chief of US Interests Section in Havana Jeffrey DeLaurentis and several other US officials were present.

Early Monday morning, the US State Department added the Cuban national flag to its lobby, which displays the flags of all nations with diplomatic ties with the US.

US Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Monday that he is going to Havana on August 14 for a comparable ceremony at the US embassy there. There was no ceremony for US flag-raising ceremony in the new US embassy on Monday.

In a joint press conference at the State Department Monday afternoon after their talk, Kerry and Rodriguez both applauded the restoration of diplomatic ties as beneficial to both countries and their peoples.

Delivering his speech both in English and Spanish, Kerry called Monday "a historic day, a day for removing barriers."

"This milestone does not signify an end to differences that still separate our governments, but it does reflect the reality that the Cold War ended long ago, and that the interests of both countries are better served by engagement than by estrangement," he said.

"And that we have begun a process of full normalization that is sure to take time but will also benefit people in both Cuba and the United States," he added.