CUBA, April 29, 2009. President Raul Castro on Wednesday said the US blockade of Cuba remains intact in spite of the measures recently announced by President Barack Obama, which he termed positive but also of limited scope. Addressing a Non Aligned Movement ministerial meeting in Havana, Raul Castro warned there is no political or moral pretext that justifies the continuation of that policy.

Cuba has not imposed any sanction on the United States or its citizens. It is not Cuba that prevents that country's entrepreneurs from doing business with ours. It is not Cuba that chases the financial transactions of the American banks, he added.

The President also stressed that it is not Cuba that has a military base in the US territory against that people's will, and so on and so forth, -to avoid making an endless list- therefore, it is not Cuba that should make gestures.

We have insisted that we are willing to discuss everything with the United States government, on equal footing; but we are not willing to negotiate our sovereignty or our political and social system, our right to self-determination or our domestic affairs, Raul Castro said.

And if they want to discuss everything, as we recently said at an ALBA summit in Venezuela, that is, to discuss everything, everything, everything, we can discuss everything related to us but also everything related to them, on equal footing, he stressed.

After thanking Non Aligned Movement for its Cuba support, Raul Castro said the bloc's strength lies in its unity within its characteristic diversity. Such has been the major premise of the Cuban presidency in the almost three years of its mandate, the Cuban head of state said.

I have no doubt that the Non-Aligned Movement will continue to play a fundamental and constructive role in the international debates. Cuba will keep up its efforts to contribute to that objective, he concluded.(Cubaminrex- PL)