Weekly Report - 06 August 2009 (WR-09-31)

President Raúl Castro delivered a sobering speech this week to the national assembly, meeting for the first of its brief biannual sessions. He justified cuts in health and education expenditure on a worsening economic outlook, which he said would require further belt-tightening. He blamed the adverse economic conditions for his decision to postpone the long overdue Communist party conference yet again. He defiantly rejected US calls for a democratic opening but he reiterated his willingness to discuss “everything".