Beyonce, Jay-Z Cuba trip was OK'd by U.S. Treasury Dept

Beyonce, Jay-Z Cuba trip was OK'd by U.S. Treasury Dept

MIAMI - A visit by American pop star Beyonce and rapper husband Jay-Z to Havana last week was a cultural trip that was fully licensed by the U.S. Treasury Department, a source familiar with the trip said on Monday. The longstanding U.S. trade embargo against Cuba prevents most Americans from traveling to the communist-led island without a license granted by the U.S. government. Two Cuban American members of Congress, both Republicans representing south Florida and supporters of a firm stance on Cuba, had asked the Treasury Department for information on what type of license the couple obtained for their trip. Beyonce and Jay-Z celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary in Havana and were greeted by big crowds as they strolled through the Cuban capital. Cubans recognized the music industry power couple as celebrities despite the past half-century of ideological conflict that separates the two countries. The source told Reuters that the trip included visits with Cuban artists and musicians, as well as several night clubs where live music was performed, and some of the city's best privately-run restaurants, known as paladares. The visit involved no meetings with Cuban officials, the source said. Publicists for the couple did not return emails or phone calls seeking comment. The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which handles licenses for travel to Cuba, said it does not comment on individual cases. Beyonce and Jay-Z were the latest and perhaps greatest big-name American stars - actors Bill Murray, Sean Penn and James Caan among them - to visit the Caribbean island in the past few years, but the first to cause such a stir everywhere they went. The authorization for their trip was questioned by U.S. Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart. While it has kept the embargo in place, President Barack Obama's administration has eased restrictions on travel to Cuba for academic, religious or cultural programs. 

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