The Latest: Cuba embassy plan riles Republican hopefuls

Marco Rubio says he'll continue to oppose the confirmation of any ambassador to Cuba until its leaders address human rights abuses and meet other conditions.

The Florida senator and son of Cuban immigrants accuses the Obama administration of making "unilateral concessions" to an "odious regime."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the announcement that the U.S. and Cuba will reopen embassies, calling the restoration of diplomatic ties "an important step on the path toward the normalization of relations."

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, a Cuban-American and 2016 presidential contender, excoriated President Barack Obama over the new diplomatic ties with Cuba, calling it "unconditional surrender" to the Castros.

Menendez said the Cuban government is the only one in the Western Hemisphere, "which the Obama administration has chosen to establish relations with, that is not elected by its citizens."

Menendez said the message from the administration "is democracy and human rights take a back seat to a legacy initiative."

[...] a separate statement from the government says reopening embassies is just the first step in "a long and complex process toward normalization of bilateral ties."

Florida Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson is cautiously welcoming word from the Obama administration of plans to open an embassy in Cuba as the White House seeks to normalize ties to the Cold War foe.

Speaking in Vienna, where he was attending nuclear talks with Iran, Kerry said the former Cold War foes still have sharp differences over democracy, human rights and other matters.

An embassy, he said, will allow the U.S. to engage the Cuban government and people, and help Americans traveling to the island.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, says the Obama administration is handing Fidel and Raul Castro "a lifetime dream of legitimacy without getting a thing" for the Cuban people who have been oppressed by a brutal communist dictatorship.

In a statement, the Republican leader maintained that relations with the Castro regime should not be revisited, let alone normalized, until the Cuban people enjoy freedom — "and not one second sooner."

Obama says the reopening of a full embassy in Havana means American diplomats will be able to engage directly with Cuban government officials, civil society leaders and ordinary Cubans.