Raul Castro 'willing to talk to US'

[W.G.Ewald]

BBC News - Cuban President Raul Castro 'willing to talk to US'

Cuban President Raul Castro has made a seemingly impromptu address at a Revolution Day ceremony and said he is willing to hold talks with the US.

Mr Castro, who had not spoken at the event for the past two years, grabbed the microphone to address the crowd in the eastern province of Guantanamo.

He said he would hold talks with the US, as long as it was "a conversation between equals".

The two countries have not had diplomatic relations for five decades.