The President of Cuba, Raul Castro said on Wednesday that his country would not accept any interference from the United States warning that meddling in its internal affairs would make harmonisation between the two countries “meaningless.”
Castro’s remarks came in after the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Roberta Jacobson, last week met with dissidents a day after talks with Cuban government officials.
Castro said during the summit in Costa Rica that: “Everything appears to indicate that the aim is to foment an artificial political opposition via economic, political and communication means. If these problems are not resolved, this diplomatic rapprochement between Cuba and the United States would be meaningless.”
However, the Cuba President made it clear that he was committed to the talks despite his concern that Washington might try to whip up internal opposition within Cuba through greater telecommunication technology.
Castro also urged U.S. President, Barack Obama, to use executive powers to ease a decades-long embargo against his country, saying Washington could extend measures like those announced for telecoms to other areas of of the economy.
Obama’s new policy specifically singled out telecoms in Cuba as an area that Washington is willing to allow U.S. companies to invest, and for its part Havana has said it is ready to let that happen.
Castro said Obama’s decision to hold a debate in Congress about eliminating the embargo was “significant,” saying it will be a long and hard road.
The United States and Cuba had historic high-level talks in Havana last week, to the re-establishment of diplomatic ties severed by Washington in 1961.
Obama needs approval from the Republican controlled Congress to completely normalise relations with Cuba, and Republicans.
