Fidel: Raul's Overture Was 'Misinterpreted'

Ex-prez puts a chill on warming relations between US, Cuba
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 22, 2009 7:10 AM CDT
Fidel: Raul's Overture Was 'Misinterpreted'
Cuban students chant revolutionary slogans next to an image of Raul Castro and his brother Fidel during the 48th anniversary of the triumph of Cuban forces during the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion.   (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)

What President Obama took to be a historic overture from Cuba was actually just a misunderstanding, according to Fidel Castro. The former president—apparently enraged by suggestions that Cuba make concessions in return for improved US-Cuban relations—wrote in his online column that Obama "misinterpreted" his brother Raul's statement that Cuban leaders would be willing to discuss everything, including human rights, reports the AP.

"Confirming that the president of Cuba is ready to discuss any topic with the president of the United States expresses that he's not afraid to broach any subject," Fidel wrote of his younger brother, who succeeded him as president in 2007. "It's a sign of bravery and confidence in the principles of the revolution."
(More Fidel Castro stories.)

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