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Mr. Castro confirmed that he would travel to Panama in April for the Summit of the Americas, which Mr. Obama is also set to attend. A White House official said Saturday that there were no current plans for the two presidents to meet there.

Mr. Castro, wearing a traditional white shirt called a guayabera and only occasionally gesturing for emphasis, referred repeatedly to Mr. Obama, praising him personally while also emphasizing that with the process of real diplomacy just beginning, "the only way to advance is with mutual respect."

He insisted, as he and Fidel Castro have for years, that the United States not meddle in the sovereign affairs of the Cuban state.

Carlos Alzugaray Treto, a Cuban diplomat and educator, said Mr. Castro's strong wording, in a speech that is an annual event and rallying point, seemed to be mostly directed at his Communist Party loyalists.

"It's domestic politics," Dr. Alzugaray said.

He noted that, just as Mr. Obama must contend with Cuban-American lawmakers who are angry about the deal, Mr. Castro faces opposition from more conservative party members who recall that Cuba's previous stance, established in the 1960s, was to hold off resuming relations until the United States lifted its trade embargo completely.

"It's Ral reassuring certain people," Dr. Alzugaray said, adding that in both Cuba and the United States, the embryonic era of friendliness would need to be protected from those resisting reconciliation of any kind. "Obama more than Ral has initiated the first step, but other steps are needed."

Amy Chozick contributed reporting from Honolulu.

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Cuba: We'll stick with Communism

By ALISON MUTLER Associated Press

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - Romania has changed dramatically in the 25 years since the people rose up against dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, executed him and began the slow transformation to a market economy and democracy.

Here are five ways that daily life has changed:

REGISTERED TYPEWRITERS TO SMART PHONES

Under communism, typewriters could not be bought in the shops, because the regime was fearful of people distributing anti-government manifestos. Those who had typewriters had to register them with the police every year and explain why they needed them.

Today even young children have smart phones and tablets and people enjoy high-speed Internet. One thing that has gone backward? Modern keyboards do not have diacritics and many don't bother to install the software to use the cedillas and accents that Romanian uses, a source of lament for language purists.

CARS BANNED IN WINTER....NOW PARKED ALL OVER THE SIDEWALK

Ceausescu rationed everything from bread to meat and gasoline. The few people who had cars could only get 20 liters (5.3 gallons) a month, often with waits at the pump of up to 48 hours. Private car use was banned altogether in the winter in the 1980s as Ceausescu squeezed people even further to pay off the country's foreign debt.

Today in Bucharest, where more than a tenth of the Romanian population lives, it can take two hours to cross the city when traffic is bad and cars clog the sidewalks, forcing pedestrians to walk in the road. Affluent families often have several cars, with SUVS being a favorite even though Bucharest has no hills or rough terrain. Some SUVS cost as much as an apartment.

TWO HOURS OF TV A DAY

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Communism to capitalism: Romania sees huge changes - Quincy Herald-Whig | Illinois & Missouri News, Sports

Hundreds of Cuban-Americans took to the streets of Miami on Saturday to protest against US President Barack Obamas plans to restore relations with Havana.

Washington has said the historic end of over fifty years of hostilities between the two countries would not bring quick changes but ultimately would lead to greater freedom in Cuba.

I think that what is happening is nothing but this administration surrendering to prevent democracy reaching Cuba. Its making concessions for a dictatorship that is not willing to make changes, explained protester Ninoska Perez Castelln.

Meanwhile in Havana, Cuban president Raul Castro welcomed Washingtons move to normalise relations, which allows both countries to discuss matters on equal terms. However, he also warned that the US must respect communist rule in Cuba.

No one should think that in order to improve relations with the United States, Cuba should renounce the ideas for which it has fought for over a century, said Raul Castro.

The Cuban president also confirmed the country would attend the Summit of the Americas in Panama next April, where for the first time in more than fifty years a Cuban president will sit at the same round table as a president of the US.

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Castro's communism pledge as Cuban-Americans protest in Miami

Cuba and The US Normalize Relations, is Socialism Over?
The major news that everyone is talking about is the opening up of relations between the US and Cuba. Obama has announced that there will be economic cooperation between the two countries form...

By: Jason Unruhe

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Cuba and The US Normalize Relations, is Socialism Over? - Video

Cuban President Raul Castro has hailed a recent U.S. move to normalize bilateral relations, but stressed that Havana will not give up socialism.

Speaking at the National Assembly in Havana on Saturday, Castro said he is open to discussing a wide range of issues with Washington, but added his country would not bow to pressure to change its core political principles.

Just as we have never proposed to the United States to change its political system, we will demand respect for ours, Castro said.

"There are profound differences between the governments of the United States and Cuba that include, among others, differing concepts about exercising national sovereignty, democracy, political models and international relations," the Cuban president said.

The thawing of U.S.-Cuba relations follows 18 months of talks between the longtime foes. In his speech to the assembly, Castro said change would come slowly.

"This will be a long and difficult struggle," he said.

In related business, members of parliament gave a standing ovation to three men convicted of spying in the United States who were released as part of an historic agreement to restore relations between the two long-hostile countries.

Since taking over from his ailing brother in 2008, Raul Castro has pushed through market-style economic reforms, but he told the National Assembly that Cuba would not abandon its socialist principles. (Ramon Espinosa/Associated Press)

The three men, known as the "Cuban Five" and long regarded as heroes in Cuba, appeared before the National Assembly along with family members.

Seated behind them in the audience was Elian Gonzalez, the young Cuban who in 2000 was at the centre of a bitter custody battle between relatives in Miami and his father in Cuba.

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Castro says dtente won't change socialism in Cuba