In this Dec. 20, 2014 file photo, Cuba鈥檚 President Raul Castro points to the press during the closing of the legislative session at the National Assembly in Havana, Cuba. Castro told a summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States meeting in San Jose, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015, that the United States needs to 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. AP
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica 鈥� 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.
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 鈥渋f these problems aren鈥檛 resolved, this diplomatic rapprochement wouldn鈥檛 make any sense.鈥�
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鈥檚 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鈥檛 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鈥� unaltered goal of reforming Cuba鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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.
鈥淭he 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鈥檛 give back the territory illegally occupied by the Guantanamo naval base,鈥� Castro said.
He demanded that the U.S. end the transmission of anti-Castro radio and television broadcasts and deliver 鈥渏ust compensation to our people for the human and economic damage that they鈥檙e suffered.鈥�
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Castro鈥檚 remarks.
RELATED STORIES
Obama: US re-establishing relations with Cuba
听