“In the same way that we have never demanded that the United States change its political system, we will demand respect for ours,” Castro told the National Assembly.
The U.S. and Cuba restored diplomatic ties earlier this week, after U.S. President Barack Obama admitted that his country’s half century attempt to defeat Cuba had failed.
Castro added that he will participate in the Summit of the Americas in April, the first opportunity for the leader to meet with United States President Barack Obama following the historic announcement.
Cuba has never participated these summits due to the island’s exclusion from the Organization of American States in 1962.
The Government of Panama had previously stated that it intended to invite Cuba to the summit, while numerous leaders from the hemisphere having previously stated they would not attend unless Cuba was present.
Castro also said Cuba faces a “long and difficult struggle” before the United States removes a decades-old economic embargo against the Caribbean island, in part because influential Cuban-American exiles will attempt to “sabotage the process” toward normalization.
Cuban Parliament Thanks International Solidarity with the Five
The Cuban National Assembly announced on Friday that it would back the agreement of President Raul Castro and U.S to restore diplomatic ties. Yolanda Ferrer, President of the International Relations Commission of the National Assembly also warmly welcomed the return of three Cuban political prisoners held by the United States for more than 15 years for attempting to thwart terrorist attacks on the island by Cuban-expatriate extremists.
The Cuban National Assembly of People’s Power thanked in plenary, all parliamentarians and legislators of the world for their support to the cause of the Cuban Five.
In the presence of Raul Castro, President of the Councils of State and Ministers of Cuba, a proposal from the International Relations Committee of the Parliament of the Caribbean nation, the 546 deputies present unanimously approved the statement read by the legislator Yolanda Ferrer Gómez. We fully support the recent speech of President Raul Castro said Ferrer Gomez at the Havana Conventions Palace, while stressing the joy of Cubans at the news of the return to the Homeland of Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero and Ramon Labañino, after a long battle for justice.
She also noted that they had fulfilled the words of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro when in June 2001 said, “They will return”, a term that guided so many years of struggle.
The declaration adopted also thanked the governments and solidarity groups who have taken as their own the cause of The Five, who are symbol of dignity of the Cuban people.
This battle has been won by dint of principles, steadfastness, perseverance and international solidarity, the deputy said.
Last December 14th the XIII ALBA-TCP was held in Havana, in which the tenth anniversary of the integration mechanism was commemorated.
In that sense the ANPP, welcomes the important date and pays tribute to the twentieth anniversary of the historic meeting between leaders Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez.
The deputies also pledged to defend the founding principles of the Alliance, promoter of cooperation and integration of the nations of Latin America and the Caribbean in search of a prosperous and sustainable development of the region.
