-DATE-
19750327
-YEAR-
1975
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
INTERVIEW
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
INTERVIEWED BY CANADIAN PAPER AFTER HAVANA TALKS
-PLACE-
CUBA
-SOURCE-
MOSCOW TASS
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19750328
-TEXT-
CASTRO INTERVIEWED BY CANADIAN PAPER AFTER HAVANA TALKS

Moscow TASS in English 1416 GMT 27 Mar 75 LD

[Text] Ottawa March 27 TASS--The Soviet Union's assistance has been a
decisive factor in consolidating the gains of the Cuban revolution. Thanks
to the USSR, Cuba withstood the U.S. blockade, said Fidel Castro, first
secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, prime
minister of the revolutionary government, in an interview to the
correspondent of the Canadian newspaper LA PRESSE.

Fidel Castro expressed satisfaction at the development of relations with
the USSR. The USSR, he said, pays us a fair price for sugar and other
goods, delivers to us on favorable terms raw materials, food products and
oil. The Soviet policy is responsible to the highest degree; we have full
trust in it.

The prime minister answered the questions of Canadian journalists following
the end of Canadian-Cuban talks in Havana, marking further strengthening
and development of bilateral trade and economic links.

Replying to the question regarding the possibility of resuming relations
between Cuba and the United States, Fidel Castro pointed out that the
appeals heard among leading American statesmen to revise the U.S. policy in
regard to Cuba are evidence of the fact that there is a growing tendency
among the American public in favor of lifting the blockade and improving
the relations between the two countries.

Speaking about Cuba, he underlined that the Cuban position has not changed.
The talks on the resumption of Cuban-American relations are only possible
under conditions of preliminary lifting the economic blockade of the
island. The United States broke off relations with us, it established the
blockade which means that it must make first steps and lift this blockade,
said Fidel Castro.
-END-