Fidel Castro breaks silence after U.S. and Cuba restore diplomatic relations

Cuba

FILE – On Monday, Jan. 26, 2015, after more than a month of silence, Castro made his first public comments about the news that the U.S. and his island nation will restore diplomatic relations after more than 50 years of hostility. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File)

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro ended his silence over the Dec. 17 declaration that Cuba and the U.S. would move towards restoring full diplomatic relations, writing that though he does not trust Washington’s politics, differences between the nations should be resolved through cooperation.

Castro made the comments in a statement, the first since negotiations were made, and sent to a student federation which was read out at the University of Havana on Monday.

“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.

Castro continued, saying that he would always defend cooperation and friendship among the world’s peoples, including Cuba’s adversaries.

Two weeks ago he sent a letter to football legend Diego Maradona to quash rumors of his death. At the time, it was the first reported word from Castro in nearly three months.

A serious illness forced him to step down from duties as president in 2006, handing over leadership to his younger brother, Raul.

Speculation about Castro’s health had been prompted in part by his failure to comment after the U.S. and Cuba announced they would move to restore full diplomatic relations broken a half century ago.

This report was complied with information from The Associated Press