Castro says blockade must be lifted before ties can be normalized

Cuban President Raul Castro said Wednesday that normal relations with the United States will not be possible so long as the economic, financial and trade blockade imposed on Havana remains in place.

At the end of the Fifth Ordinary Session of the Eighth Legislature of the Cuban Parliament, Castro said a long and complex road toward normalization will begin after diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States will officially resume on July 20.

Castro said that this new phase would require a real willingness to solve problems that have accumulated over 50 years. "It is about creating new links between the two nations, different to those we have had in our common history," the Cuban leader told MPs gathered at the Conventions Palace in Havana.

"We hope President Barack Obama will use his executive powers to dismantle this policy that has caused damage and hardship to our people", he said, adding that before bilateral ties could be normalized, the U.S. would need to return the territory occupied by its naval base in Guantanamo, stop illegal radio and television broadcasts to Cuba, and eliminate programs aimed at promoting internal subversion and destabilization on the island.

Furthermore, the Cuban people must be compensated for the human and economic damage caused by decades of U.S. policies, he stated.

However, the Cuban president reiterated the readiness of his government to advance dialogue beyond differences the two countries "might and will have." "In so doing, the two countries could search for mutual benefit and peace, stability and peaceful coexistence in the region and worldwide," he concluded. Endite