Cuba Open to Talks with Obama, says VP

HAVANA, Nov. 10 – The Cuban government is willing to hold talks with the new U.S. administration headed by Barack Obama, “with no conditions” and “on an equal plane,” said First Vice President Jose R. Machado Ventura in statements Sunday to the press during his tour of the areas affected by Hurricane Paloma, reported IPS.

In his electoral campaign, Obama said he would open direct negotiations with countries such as Cuba, Iran and North Korea, in an attempt to set a new tone to Washington’s globally unpopular foreign policy. Likewise, on several occasions before last Tuesday’s US elections, Cuban President Raul Castro has said he is willing to talk with the president that replaces George W. Bush.