Fidel Castro 'Distrustful' of US, Open to Talks
Former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro is finally speaking out about his country opening diplomatic ties with the United States.
The 88-year-old released a statement saying he does not trust the U.S., but he's still open to peace negotiations.
"I don't trust the politics of the United States, nor have I exchanged a word with them. Nevertheless, this is far from being a rejection of a peaceful solution of conflicts or dangers of war," he wrote.
The letter was written to Cuban students and read aloud on state television.
Fidel Castro has been silent since President Barack Obama announced on Dec.17 that he was restoring diplomatic ties with the communist regime.
The comments come after last week's high-level talks between the U.S. and Cuba in Havana.
Fidel handed over leadership of Cuba to his younger brother Raul Castro in 2006 after a serious illness forced him to step down from power.
Some Republicans are angry about Obama's move to normalize relations with Cuba, arguing it could help prop up the weakening communist regime.
They recently invited Cuban democracy activists to attend the president's State of the Union address to argue their point.
"Engagement with (Raul) Castro only strengthens the Castro regime and weakens Cuba morally," said one of those guests, Jorge Luis Perez.
Perez, who was jailed for 17 years in Cuba, was a guest of House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., invited an activist who believes her father, Oswaldo Paya, was killed in a car accident rigged by the Castro regime because he gathered petition signatures seeking free elections.
Rubio said he hoped Rosa Maria Paya's story would remind Obama that "her father's murderers have not been brought to justice, and that the U.S. is now, in fact, sitting at the table with them."
