Raul Castro to make first UN General Assembly address

Cuban President Raul Castro will address the UN General Assembly for the first time at the end of September, Havana confirmed on Wednesday (Sep 16).

A draft schedule published by the United Nations indicated that the Cuban leader would speak on September 28, the same day as US President Barack Obama.

After delivering a speech at the Business Roundtable Headquarters in Washington where he responded to several questions from the audience, Obama also said that the imminent visit of Pope Francis to Cuba will be “an opportunity” to broaden the “conversations” that are already occurring on the communist island.

Since the announcement last December of the process of normalising relations with Cuba, Obama has come out publicly in favor of lifting the embargo imposed on the island for more than half a century, something that only the US Congress – which now has a Republican majority – can do.

Raul Castro’s first trip to the United States since taking office as head of state in 2008 has been made possible by the recent diplomatic rapprochement between the two former political adversaries.

This year, however, Cuba will introduce a resolution that also “welcomes” the reestablishment of relations with Washington, and acknowledges Obama s determination to work with the US Congress to lift the embargo, Rodriguez told a news conference.

During this presence at these events, Castro “will fulfil a broad programme of a multi-lateral nature”, will hold “numerous bilateral meetings” with heads of states and government, and will meet with representatives of assorted sectors of U.S. society, including members of groups expressing solidarity with Cuba and the Cuban exile community.

“The report, which will be submitted to the United Nations General Assembly, denounces the huge damage inflicted on the Cuban people by the unilateral and extraterritorial USA policy over the past 50 years”.

Fidel Castro took part in the gathering on four occasions following the Cuban revolution in 1959.