CCTV9英语新闻：Cuban President seeks US relations

Cuban President Raul Castro has called on the United States to help establish civilized relations between the two nations.

Speaking at the year-end meeting of Cuba’s parliament, Castro displayed a new tone when discussing the possibility of bilateral talks on secondary issues, saying the two countries had recently been able "to hold conversations on topics of mutual interest."

But he did reiterate that the country’s political and economic system is non-negotiable. The United States and Cuba have appeared more positive recently as talks around immigration, postal services, disaster prevention and other security issues have taken place. Officials from both countries have cautiously welcomed each other’s pragmatism and serious willingness to negotiate. Castro’s speech comes just two weeks after he and US President Barack Obama famously shook hands at Nelson Mandela’s memorial in South Africa.