Posted on 08/17/2007 5:29:52 PM PDT by freedom44
CAMAGUEY, Cuba (AP) - Cubas acting president Raul Castro recently stated that Cuba has avoided the collapse the U.S. predicted when his brother Fidel Castro fell ill a year ago, and signaled he was willing to talk with a new American administration after President Bush leaves power.
Mr. Castro said the island suffered a hard blow when Fidel relinquished power last year, but he focused more on the future while addressing tens of thousands of loyalists recently celebrating Cubas Revolution Day.
These have truly been difficult moments, although with a diametrically different impact than that expected by our enemies, who wished for chaos to take hold and for Cuban socialism to collapse, Mr. Castro said. Senior U.S. officials even made statements about taking advantage of this scenario to destroy the revolution.
Cuba could hardly even suspect what a hard blow was awaiting us when his brother was last seen exactly a year ago, Raul told the crowd in this city of narrow colonial streets southeast of Havana.
Despite our deep sorrow, no task was left undone, he said. There is order in the country and a lot of work.
Washingtons 45-year-old embargo prohibits U.S. tourists from visiting the island and chokes off nearly all trade between both countries. Raul called the Bush administration erratic and dangerous, but said he would be open to discussing improved relations after a new president takes over following next years elections.
If the new United States authorities would finally desist from their arrogance and decide to converse in a civilized manner, it would be a welcome change, he said.

Sure talks a mean streak for a corpse, don’t he?
I was there in 1961.It was bad then and is still bad!!!!!.....
Yea, like Cuba is thriving.
That’s some accomplishment, avoiding (so far) the total collapse of your government.
That's what I thought too. Think of how BOOMING Cuba could have been given it's climate, ports, and location vs. what it is now.
It is in a collapse in relative terms.
How can anyone tell? How different would Cuba look if it collapsed?
Hey!! They have a thriving low power rice cooker industry! It only took 40 years to develop!
LOL!
The Final Call is a bunch of left-wing crap.
The Final Call is worse than left-wing crap, it’s Louis Farrakhan’s commie, black racist, total anti-American, anti-white beneath the crap. Total crapola.
...By:
1) Exporting thousands of citizens to other countries, and
2) Making itself a haven for the pedophiles of the world.
Only willing to talk to another socialist/communist when Hillary gets in?
No shiite! A collapse would be an improvement.
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