Addressing journalists yesterday, Juan Carlos Arebcibia Corrales said that Cuba would never bow to the American demands that the country abandons socialism, and that President Raul Castro steps down. He stated that the Cuban electorate put Castro in power, and therefore it would be improper for the Americans to make such demands.
"The Cuban people endures severe economic loses, which till April 2013 - after five decades of blockade - amount to $1.2 trillion, if depreciation of the dollar against gold value in international markets is taken into consideration," he said. He said that the announcement by the current US President Barrack Obama five years ago to make a fresh start with Cuba has not borne fruit, but instead there is intensified persecution of Cuba's international financial transactions. In more than an hour's presentation, the ambassador stated that the blockade had impacted negatively on Cuba's economic and social development. "Cuba cannot freely export and import goods and services to and from the United States, nor use the dollar in its international financial transactions or open accounts in that currency in third world banks," Corrales said.
