Talks wrap up and Cuba's leader lambastes US over Venezuela
Talks wrap up and Cuba's leader lambastes US over Venezuela
By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN
Published: Mar 17, 2015
HAVANA (AP) - A third round of negotiations over the restoration of full diplomatic relations ended after a day of talks, Cuban and U.S. officials said Tuesday. Hours later, Cuban President Raul Castro delivered a toughly worded attack on the United States for levying a new round of sanctions on his country's closest ally, Venezuela.
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Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Relations said the talks took place "in a professional atmosphere" and "the two delegations agreed to maintain communication in the future as part of this process." Jeff Rathke, a U.S. State Department spokesman, said that "the discussion was positive and constructive and was held in an atmosphere of mutual respect." But Castro later delivered a searing defense of Venezuela at an emergency meeting of leftist Latin American governments called in response to U.S. sanctions levied on seven Venezuelan officials last week. In announcing the move, the U.S. declared Venezuela a threat to U.S. national security.
Washington has asserted that the Venezuelan sanctions wouldn't affect its negotiations with Cuba, but Castro made clear in Caracas that he sees the two issues as linked.He described Obama's declaration of detente with Cuba as a recognition that a U.S. policy of hostility to Latin American socialism had failed.
"Nonetheless, the spokesmen of his government have made clear that the objective remains, only the methods have changed," Castro said. "The U.S. must understand once and for all that it's impossible to seduce Cuba or intimidate Venezuela."
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