Cuban President Raúl Castro has told the United States he is prepared to discuss everything except a change to the country’s socialist system. In a speech to parliament in the capital Havana, Mr Castro said there could be no talk of a return to capitalism for Cuba.

He was responding to a call from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who had said that before dialogue between the two countries could resume, Cuba would first need to institute democratic reforms.

In his speech, the 78-year-old Cuban leader also announced that the country’s economic growth would amount to just 1.7 percent in 2009. Cuba’s economy has been badly affected by lower international prices for nickel, its only export product, and by the continued absence of foreign tourists.

It also still suffering from the ten billion dollars’ worth of damage caused by three hurricanes in 2008.

Photo of Cuban President Raúl Castro from Trinidad-News.com (flickr)