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Cuban leader says U.S. trade embargo biggest obstacle to mending ties

Xinhua, January 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

Cuban leader Raul Castro said Wednesday the U.S. trade embargo was the main stumbling block to normalizing ties between the two nations.

Addressing the third Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), being held in Belen, Costa Rica, Castro said the "process towards normalizing ties will not be possible as long as the embargo exists," Cuban state daily Granma reported.

Castro also listed other obstacles to a rapprochement, including Washington's refusal to "return the Guantanamo Naval Base (to Cuba), stop radio and television broadcasts that violate international law, and provide fair compensation for the human and economic harm the country has suffered," the report said.

"If these problems are not resolved, the diplomatic rapprochement between Cuba and the United States would make no sense," Castro was quoted as saying.

Cuba and the United States announced in December their decision to normalize ties after more than 50 years of hostility. During a televised broadcast, U.S. President Barack Obama said his administration decided to change track following half a century of a failed policy to isolate Cuba, and engage with the Communist- ruled nation instead.

Obama said the next step would be the opening of embassies in their respective capitals, but stressed only the U.S. Congress has the power to lift the embargo.

Castro reiterated at the summit that the embargo remains the single biggest obstacle to mending ties.

The embargo "aimed to generate hunger, desperation and suffering to succeed in overthrowing the government" of Cuba, Granma cited Castro as saying. "Now the objective is to create artificial political opposition, through economic, political and technological means."

In his speech in Costa Rica, Castro said that Havana also wanted to be removed from a U.S. blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism, which has obstructed Cuba's access to financial institution.

Moreover, he demanded the return of Guantanamo Bay, where the U. S. navy has a detention base being used to jail terrorism suspects.

During the almost 40-minute speech, Castro thanked CELAC member states for supporting Cuba and insisting it be included in the upcoming summit of the Organization of American States (OAS), a bloc traditionally dominated by Washington policy.

Both Castro and Obama have said they would attend the OAS summit in Panama in April. Endite