Cuban President Raul Castro on Saturday called on the US to establish civilized relations with his country, recognizing a new tone in bilateral talks on secondary issues while reiterating that the country’s political and economic system were nonnegotiable.
The US and Cuba have appeared more positive of late as talks around immigration, postal services, disaster prevention and other security issues have taken place, with officials from both countries cautiously welcoming each other’s pragmatism and seriousness in interviews.
Castro, closing a year-end meeting of the Cuban parliament, said that recently the two countries, bitter foes for more than half a century, had been able “to hold conversations on topics of mutual interest.”
“We think we can resolve other matters of interest,” he said without elaborating.
Castro said that “a civilized relationship between both countries” was something “our people and the immense majority of US citizens and Cuban immigrants desire.”
Castro’s speech came just two weeks after he and US President Barack Obama shook hands at a memorial for former South African president Nelson Mandela.
The White House played down the handshake, saying it was unplanned and went no further than pleasantries.
Still, the meeting had resonance because of the surprise warming in recent months with several instances of cooperation.
US and Cuban officials overcame a series of potentially divisive incidents this summer, including the interception of a shipment of Cuban weapons headed for North Korea, with mutual displays of prudent diplomacy rarely seen since the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power.
At a fund-raising dinner in Miami last month, Obama said that it may be time for the US to revise its policies toward Cuba, against which a trade embargo has been in place for more than half a century.
Obama questioned whether the policy that was put in place in 1961 remains an effective way of dealing with US differences with the Communist-ruled nation.
While Castro on Saturday seemed to be holding out an olive branch, at the same time he reiterated Cuba’s position, held since the 1959 revolution, that neither Cuba’s one-party rule, nor its economic system, were on the table.
“We do not demand that the US change its political and social system, nor do we accept negotiating ours,” he said.
“If we really want to move forward in our bilateral relations, we have to learn to mutually respect our differences and become accustomed to peacefully living with them,” he said to applause from the parliament deputies.
A significant breakthrough in relations remains unlikely while Cuba continues to detain a US government contractor, Alan Gross, who was arrested four years ago for what Cuba saw as a subversive effort to promote political change.
Gross said he was in Cuba to set up communications equipment to give unrestricted Internet access to Jewish groups. A Cuban judge said that activity was a crime against the state and sentenced Gross to 15 years.
It remains unclear what steps the Obama administration can take to obtain Gross’s release. Cuba has hinted it would release him in return for four Cubans jailed on espionage charges in the US, but Washington has flatly ruled that out.
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS