HAVANA: Cuban President Raul Castro on Friday said that Donald Trump’s hardline stance towards the country marks “a setback” in relations with the United States after ties were gradually restored in 2015. “The announcements made by the current president… mean a setback in bilateral relations,” Castro said in remarks, broadcast on state television, at the closing of the first session of Cuba’s Parliament. The US president framed his measures as a move against a “cruel and brutal” regime, saying progress on bilateral relations would be hinged on concessions related to human rights. “Cuba has much to be proud of, and it does not have to receive lessons from the United States or anyone else,” he said during the session, which international press does not have access to. “Any strategy that seeks to destroy the revolution, whether through coercion or pressure or through subtle methods, will fail,” he said.

Source: Manila Times July 15, 2017 03:45 UTC