Raul Castro urges US to end broadcasts aimed at Cuba

Raul Castro urges US to end broadcasts aimed at Cuba
Saturday, December 19, 2015 | 10:50 AM

HAVANA, Cuba (AP) — Cuban President Raul Castro urged the US Government
Friday to halt radio and television broadcasts aimed at the island and
other programmes that Cuba considers harmful while reiterating that he
is interested in deepening the thaw in relations with the United States.

The comment came in Castro's first review of the rapprochement that he
and US President Barack Obama began a year ago.

In a rare broadcast of his speech on State television, the 84-year-old
leader said, "Cuba will continue insisting that to achieve the
normalisation of relations it is imperative that the Government of the
United States remove all policies of the past."

Among the things he criticised are transmissions of Radio Marti and TV
Marti to Cuba despite his Government's objections.

"The United States maintains programmes that are harmful to Cuban
sovereignty, such as projects to promote changes in our political,
economic and social order," he said.
Castro, who took over Cuba's presidency from his older brother Fidel,
also objected to US immigration policy that gives preferences to Cuban
migrants, offering them automatic residence if they reach US territory.

He repeated his call for an end to the five-decade-long US trade
embargo. Obama has eased some provisions of the embargo, but many of its
requirements are included in US law and would have to be changed by
Congress, where there is opposition to doing that.

Castro recounted some of the achievements in the last year, including
the reopening of embassies, top-level meetings between US and Cuba
officials, including Obama and Castro, and agreements on cooperating on
environmental matters and in security.

Cuba maintains "full readiness to continue working toward building a
relationship with the US," Castro said.

Source: Raul Castro urges US to end broadcasts aimed at Cuba - News -
JamaicaObserver.com -
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Raul-Castro-urges-US-to-end-broadcasts-aimed-at-Cuba