Cuba won't change political system
Cuban President Raul Castro said Saturday he was ready to discuss any topic with Washington after the historic bilateral rapprochement, but warned not to expect political change.
And while the leader of the Americas' only communist nation hailed the agreement for removing of an "obstacle" in US-Cuba relations, he reiterated that "the most important thing, the end of the embargo" remained unresolved.
Castro spoke at the close of the twice-yearly meeting of the one-party National Assembly, which unanimously ratified the deal between Havana and Washington, in a session largely focused on the island's historic renewal of ties with Washington.
"The Cuban people cheer this correct decision of US President Barack Obama. It represents the removal of an obstacle in relations between our countries," he said.
"We reiterate our willingness for respectful and reciprocal dialogue concerning disagreements," Castro said, adding that Cuba "accepted dialogue... on any topic about all things here but also in the United States."
But he emphasized that his country was a "sovereign state" that would not bow to pressure to change its political or economic system.
"In the same way that we have never suggested the United States change its political system, we will demand respect for ours," Castro said.
Meanwhile, Obama said his plan to normalize relations with Cuba gives the US a chance to influence events at an important moment of change for the communist nation, and he brushed off critics who accuse him of kowtowing to dictators.
Obama said a half-century of trying to push out the Castro government through isolation has not worked. He said his administration is taking a look at whether to remove Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terror, acknowledging that Havana's inclusion makes it difficult for the US to pursue closer ties.
"If we engage, we have the opportunity to influence the course of events at a time when there's going to be some generational change in that country," Obama told CNN's "State of the Union" in an interview aired yesterday. "And I think we should seize it and I intend to do so."
The United States and Cuba made the breakthrough in their Cold War standoff Wednesday, launching measures to ease a five-decade US trade embargo as well as a prisoner exchange. First official talks are scheduled for January.
Castro repeated Saturday his stance that "the most important thing, the end of the economic, trade, and financial embargo against Cuba, still needs to be resolved."
However, most of the embargo is codified in US law, which can only be changed with congressional approval, reports AFP.
That will likely prove difficult, with a number of US lawmakers, led by Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio, protesting Obama's shift in Cuba policy.
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