French President Francois Hollande called Monday for an end to US sanctions on Cuba during a historic visit to Paris by President Raul Castro, seen as a key step in rebuilding ties with the West.
President Obama... must, and he's said it himself, go all the way and bring an end to this vestige of the Cold War, Hollande said after meeting with the 84-year-old Cuban leader. Castro is on his first official trip to the European Union since taking over from his elder brother Fidel in 2006.
France has led the way in welcoming Cuba back into the diplomatic fold since the Caribbean island restored relations last year with the United States, after more than half a century of enmity.
The visit builds on Hollande's own state visit to Cuba last May, the first by a Western head of state in more than half a century. Castro is the second former pariah to be welcomed to Paris in a matter of days, after Hollande hosted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani last week.
He was formally welcomed on Monday under the Arc de Triomphe before being driven down a virtually deserted Champs-Elysees avenue decked out in Cuban flags. Police severely restricted access to spectators, and just a few groups of supporters of the Cuban regime were present.
Havana hopes the visit will allow Cuba to widen and diversify its relations with France in all possible areas -- politics, economics, trade, finance, investment, culture and cooperation, said Rogelio Sierra, Cuba's deputy foreign minister.
Although Washington has yet to lift its trade embargo on Cuba -- that dates back to 1962 -- US and European businesses are jockeying for position as the communist island's economy gradually opens up.
Trade delegations have been flocking to Cuba, hoping to cash in on its highly trained workforce and natural assets such as its sun-drenched Caribbean beaches, a draw for tourists. France and Cuba signed deals on tourism, transport and fair trade goods.
Some of France's largest companies already invest in Cuba, including telecoms group Alcatel-Lucent, and energy firms Total and Alstom.
The trip to France is the first by a Cuban head of state since Fidel Castro visited then president Francois Mitterrand in 1995.
Top Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesDoes anybody GAF about this commie bastard?
Feb 02nd, 2016 - 06:52 pm 0Wow! The French seem to be welcoming a lot of dodgy bastards these days!
Feb 03rd, 2016 - 12:54 am 0Is it case of 'better-the-devil-you-know', rather than the evil-doers that slip in through open-borders, un-noticed?
Although the French, with many physical and economic borders to protect, have always been some-what, shall we say 'diplomatique', or 'slippery' as the English might say?
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