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Cuba's Acting President Raul Castro asserted his leadership yesterday, a year after his ailing brother Fidel handed over power, by promising economic reforms and offering talks with the United States once the Bush Administration is gone.
He said in a Revolution Day holiday speech that Washington had kept up efforts to undermine Cuba since 80-year-old Fidel Castro was sidelined by life-threatening surgery a year ago but that "if the next US government puts arrogance aside and decides to talk in a civilised fashion, that is welcome.
"If not, we are prepared to continue facing their hostile policy for another 50 years."
The US State Department and a leading dissident brushed off the comments by saying Castro needed more dialogue with his own people, who live under communist rule.
About 100,000 government supporters, many in red T-shirts, chanted "Raul, Raul, Raul" and waved Cuban flags during Castro's speech. He said Fidel Castro, who has not appeared in public for a year, was increasingly active in an advisory role. But Raul Castro's speech left no doubt that he is in charge.
He said salaries were too low - a major complaint by Cubans - and called for a constructive debate to rid Cuba's largely state-owned economy of bureaucratic inefficiencies.
Castro, 76, is considered more pragmatic than his ideologically-driven brother. Cuba must produce more food and cut its dependence on imports, and deep reforms of agriculture are on their way, he said.
Cuba plans to allow more foreign investment more than a decade after it opened up to foreign capital and tourism to help dig the economy out of its severe crisis.
He warned that reforms and results will take time but his speech encouraged Cubans, who have faced hardships since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
Fidel Castro's revolution ousted a US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959 and turned Cuba into a Soviet ally, leading to almost half a century of hostility with Washington.
Castro said it had been difficult since his brother became ill because Cuba's enemies in the US had banked on the collapse of its socialist system. President George Bush's Administration had stepped up an "implacable war" to undermine Cuba with trade and financial sanctions, Castro said, but Cuba remained stable and united behind the ruling Communist Party.
The Bush Administration has rejected what it calls a "succession from one dictator to another" in Cuba.
Last year, Raul Castro made two offers to negotiate with the US in an effort to end the decades-old political rift. He is now looking past the 2008 US presidential elections. "The new administration will have to decide whether it maintains this absurd, illegal and failed policy against Cuba or accepts the olive branch we extended," he said.
US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in response: "The dialogue that needs to happen is in Cuba."
Leading dissident Oswaldo Paya, who wants to see reform of Cuba's one-party state to allow multi-party elections, said, "We urgently need civilised debate, not with the United States, but with the Cuban people."
- Reuters
