Saturday, January 6, 2007

HAVANA, Cuba (AFP): The United States on Friday urged Cuba's communist government to embrace political and economic reforms, again nixing engagement with interim leader Raul Castro.

"Our policy is very clear and our law is very clear. We would like to see a release of political prisoners, we would like the Cuban people receiving basic human liberties, the ability to open up a business, the ability to work where they want, the ability to have free speech, the liberty to have political parties," said US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, a Cuban-American.

"We'd like to see that before we change our policy and before we change the embargo," Gutierrez told reporters after a speech at the US Chamber of Commerce.

Raul Castro, now at the helm of the Americas' only one-party communist state, last month called for dialogue with the United States.

But Washington, which never expected the communist regime to outlive Fidel Castro's leadership, so far has shown no interest in dealing with Raul.

Fidel Castro, 80, who underwent an operation on July 27, has yet to make a public appearance since handing power temporarily to his brother Raul, the 75-year-old defense chief, on July 31.

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