Former Cuban President Fidel Castro has criticized U.S. Vice President Joe Biden for saying the United States has no plans to lift its trade embargo against Cuba.
In an online column published Sunday, Mr. Castro questioned the ethics behind the U.S. policy. The former president said the embargo is a policy of the past, and he believes that Latin American countries want to move forward.
Biden told reporters during a summit in Chile on Saturday that he and President Barack Obama think the Cuban people should determine their own fate and that they should be able to live in freedom.
He also said there is a need for a transition in U.S. policy toward Cuba. But the vice president would not elaborate, saying he was in Chile to discuss the economy, not Cuba.
President Obama has said he favors relaxing limits on family travel and on cash remittances by Cuban Americans to Cuba. But he says the U.S. trade embargo should stay in place to press for democratic reforms.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.
