Fidel Castro's Open Letter To 'Brother Obama' Is Far From Welcoming - Newsy

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• published: 28 Mar 2016
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Former Cuban President Fidel Castro wrote, "We don't need the empire to give us anything." Transcript: Raúl Castro welcomed President Obama into his country last week. The same can't be said for the Cuban president's brother. Former President Fidel Castro wrote to "Brother Obama," as he called him, saying, "We don't need the empire to give us anything." In what's been called a "rambling" column, he rejected the fence-mending tone Obama adopted during his official visit. Fidel's letter brought to the spotlight the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba and the two nations' spotty history. It also seemed to denounce growing business ties between the U.S. and Cuba, saying, "We are capable of producing the food and material riches we need with the efforts and intelligence of our people." Most Cubans earn about $20 a month, but Raúl Castro has been loosening the state-controlled monopoly over Cuba's economy. That may give Cubans more opportunities to make more money. As far as we know, Obama did not meet with Fidel Castro during his trip, although he met with Raúl Castro several times. But Raúl Castro may have been less happy with Obama as well after the American president questioned him about political prisoners during a press conference aired on Cuban state television. This video includes clips from ABC, BBC, CBS and Al Jazeera and images from Getty Images. Sources: Getty Images http://www.gettyimages.com/license/490519842 Granma http://en.granma.cu/cuba/2016-03-28/brother-obama Getty Images http://www.gettyimages.com/license/97031472 Getty Images http://www.gettyimages.com/license/50837513 CNN http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/28/politics/cuba-fidel-castro-blasts-obama-trip/index.html BBC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR8CPBO6C8Q CBS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAbNOkgZ7LQ Brookings Institution http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/brookings-now/posts/2015/07/ten-economic-facts-about-cuba Al Jazeera https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr7oDxHcYxg The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/03/21/heres-why-obama-didnt-meet-fidel-castro-in-cuba/ Politico http://www.politico.com/story/2016/03/how-obama-set-a-trap-for-raul-castro-221059 PBS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwEG0hOWBXw ------------------------------------- Newsy is your source for concise, unbiased video news and analysis covering the top stories from around the world. With persistent curiosity and no agenda, we strive to fuel meaningful conversations by highlighting multiple sides of every story. Newsy delivers the news and perspective you need without the hype and bias common to many news sources. See more at http://www.newsy.com/ Like Newsy on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/newsyvideos/