Hydrablog

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/27/world/americas/cuba-an-impromptu-invitation-to-american-officials.html
July 27, 2012
Cuba: An Impromptu Invitation
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS [Cuba] [Caribbean and Latin America] [Fidel lives] [and amazingly, I never thought I’d hear it in his liftime, he says the old command-economy model is no longer working for Cuba!!!] [followup] [use psci 350 ] [use ir text] [it’s somewhat stunning how far Raul has moved Cuba] [despite global economy that slowed to a crawl since 2008, Raul Castro just told the world he’s willing to mend fences with the U.S.!] [followup, July 16] [*]
President Raúl Castro said Thursday that his government was willing to mend fences with the United States and sit down to discuss anything, as long as it was a conversation between equals. At the end of a Revolution Day ceremony in the eastern province of Guantánamo, Mr. Castro grabbed the microphone for apparently impromptu remarks. Echoing previous statements, he said that no topic was off limits, including American concerns about democracy, freedom of the press and human rights in Cuba, as long as the United States was prepared to hear Cuba’s own complaints. [*]“Any day they want, the table is set,” Mr. Castro said. “This has already been said through diplomatic channels. If they want to talk, we will talk.” The United States and Cuba have not had diplomatic relations for five decades. The State Department said Thursday that before there could be meaningful talks, Havana must institute democratic reforms, respect human rights and release Alan Gross, an American detained in Cuba. [I suppose this means Fidel is tantamount to comatose?] [*]