San Jose – Cuban President Raul Castro demanded on Wednesday that the United States return the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, lift the half-century trade embargo on Cuba and compensate his country for damages before the two nations re-establish normal relations.
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Castro told a summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States that Cuba and the U.S. are working toward full diplomatic relations but “if these problems aren’t resolved, this diplomatic rapprochement wouldn’t make any sense.”
Castro and U.S. President Barack Obama announced on Dec. 17 that they would move toward renewing full diplomatic relations by reopening embassies in each other’s countries. The two governments held negotiations in Havana last week to discuss both the reopening of embassies and the broader agenda of re-establishing normal relations.
Obama has loosened the trade embargo with a range of measures designed to increase economic ties with Cuba and increase the number of Cubans who don’t depend on the communist state for their livelihoods.
The Obama administration says removing barriers to U.S. travel, remittances and exports to Cuba is a tactical change that supports the United States’ unaltered goal of reforming Cuba’s single-party political system and centrally planned economy.
Cuba has said it welcomes the measures but has no intention of changing its system. Without establishing specific conditions, Castro’s government has increasingly linked the negotiations with the U.S. to a set of longstanding demands that include an end to U.S. support for Cuban dissidents and Cuba’s removal from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.
On Wednesday, Castro emphasized an even broader list of Cuban demands, saying that while diplomatic ties may be re-established, normal relations with the U.S. depend on a series of concessions that appear highly unlikely in the near future.
“The reestablishment of diplomatic relations is the start of a process of normalizing bilateral relations, but this will not be possible while the blockade still exists, while they don’t give back the territory illegally occupied by the Guanatanamo naval base,” Castro said.
He demanded that the U.S. end the transmission of anti-Castro radio and television broadcasts and deliver “just compensation to our people for the human and economic damage that they’re suffered.”
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Castro’s remarks.
So now the US is an “occupier” too? Where are all of the demonstrations and flotillas
by the lefty peaceniks?
Oh yes, the US is begging for normal relations the last 55 years..mamesh we barely survived
Actually the US is looking for some reason (the problem is that there aren’t any) not to normalize relations. So he decides to give it to them.
But realistically speaking, I never understood the United States position on Guantanamo. It was leased on a 99 year lease which expired in 2003, so why not return it? I always thought the US is the pioneers of “property rights”, so if you don’t own it, and your lease expired, go home! why stay in a property which is not yours?
No problem.
Just have the Cubans give back Miami.
What is it a requirement among communist dictators, those who are not delusional need not apply!
Hey Castro, most of us dont really care if you stayed in the 1950s which is EXACTLY where you are now. You people havent advanced since then and to continually blame it on the USA is nonsense. You have relations of sorts with most countries yet you are part of the dreq of the earth.