Cuban leader Fidel Castro on Wednesday made it clear that there will be no negotiations in his lifetime with the United States, which he pejoratively calls "the empire," according to dpa. "Let nobody come under the illusion that the empire, which carries within itself the genes of its own destruction, will negotiate with Cuba," Castro said in an article published by Cuban media. Castro's stance appeared to contradict that of his younger brother and Cuba's interim leader Raul Castro, who has made some overtures to the United States in the past year. The US has rejected Raul's offer of talks. Fidel Castro, 80, handed over power to Raul on July 31, 2006 in order to undergo surgery for intestinal bleeding. The elderly Cuban president said in Wednesday's article that he is fighting "restlessly" to recover and get back to power, although he did not set a date for his return. Castro stressed that the interim authorities of the island consult him on "every important decision." The elder Castro said the people of the United States "are not in a position to put a break on their government's apocalyptic spirit or the turbid and maniacal idea of what they call 'a democratic Cuba,' as if every leader here stood and elected himself without going through the rigorous sift of the overwhelming majority of an educated and learned people who support him." US State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey on Tuesday said last year's transfer of power in Cuba marked the day "the senior dictator decided to hand off control of the country to the junior dictator." Castro has published 34 articles since late March, in which he has regularly criticized US policy in strong terms.
