Castro ready to talk with US under conditions of equality
Rio de Janeiro, Feb 25 (IANS/EFE) Cuban President Raul Castro has confirmed that his government is ready to talk with the US about any subject, but under conditions of equality, Brazil’s official Estado news agency reported.
‘We want to discuss with the government of the United States all the problems that they want to (talk about). I repeat it three times: all, all, all. But we will only accept if it is in absolute equality,’ Castro said Wednesday while showing Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva around the port of Mariel, near Havana.
In any potential dialogue, Washington ‘can ask about anything, but we also want to ask about all the problems of the US’, Castro said.
Castro acknowledged that ‘maximum freedom of expression’ does not exist on the island, but he attributed that problem to Washington.
‘Here there is not the maximum freedom of expression. That is true. But if the US would leave us alone, there could be that maximum freedom,’ he said, according to Estado.
Castro blamed the death of Cuban political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo, who died Tuesday after an 85-day hunger strike, on the relationship with the US, though he did not explain the nature of US responsibility.
The US broke diplomatic relations with Cuba not long after the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro, who formally retired two years ago in favour of younger brother Raul.
Washington imposed a comprehensive economic and trade embargo on the communist-ruled island in 1962.
–IANS/EFE
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