EU regrets Castro's defiant rejection of aid for impoverished Cuba

The European Union says it regrets Cuba's rejection of EU aid but has pledged to support the country's impoverished people. Havana's move is a response to diplomatic sanctions which the EU slapped on the communist island over human rights concerns. Cuban dictator Fidel Castro used the 50th anniversary of his revolution to take a pot shot at the Union. He said: "Several weeks ago, in early June, the European Union adopted an infamous resolution drafted by a small group of bureaucrats without a prior analysis by the ministers of foreign affairs themselves and promoted by an individual of markedly fascist language and ideology - Jose Maria Aznar." To loud cheers, Castro said he would refuse further aid "out of a basic sense of dignity." Despite the rhetoric, Havana's decision is likely to deal a heavy blow to a country already in deep economic crisis. The EU is Cuba's largest trading partner and the source of most of its tourism. The country has received some 145 million euros from the Union in the last ten years. The bloc imposed sanctions after a crackdown on dissent which saw 75 of Castro's critics jailed on harsh terms, and three hijackers trying to reach the US executed.