Santiago de Cuba, January 1 (RHC)-- The First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party, Raul Castro, addressed the nation and the world Tuesday evening on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution.   

Speaking at a ceremony broadcast live on Cuban radio and television from the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in Santiago de Cuba, Raul recalled the struggles for independence over the past 150 years, beginning with the 1868 to 1878 Ten Years War.   
 
Raul Castro affirmed that the indestructible unity of the people will impede the imperial intentions of the United States, noting that the Cuban people have not had a moment of peace in the face of U.S. intentions to force a regime change on the island.

He called on the people to prepare themselves with the optimism that the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, gave us -- namely to find solutions to the present challenges.  And the First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party pointed to the economic blockade imposed on the island by the United States.

Also present at the activity in Santiago de Cuba to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Revolution was Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel; the Second Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, José Ramón Machado Ventura; the President of the National Assembly of People's Power, Esteban Lazo; and other national and local authorities.