STATEMENT ON RESIGNATION OF FIDEL CASTRO AS PRESIDENT OF CUBA

TRENTON - Governor Jon S. Corzine today issued the following statement regarding the announcement of Fidel Castro’s resignation as president of Cuba:

“The announcement that Fidel Castro has resigned as president of Cuba seems like little more than trading one dictator for another, and initially, will represent little in terms of social change. But any change gives rise to hope, and the end of the reign of a dictator who oppressed the Cuban people with an iron fist for half a century is a positive step.

“The United States must remain committed to supporting reform, liberation, and democracy in Cuba. Just as the fall of the Berlin Wall began with the swing of that first hammer, a free Cuba will emerge as its proud citizens take advantage of circumstances to bring about change.

“Perhaps one day that change will come and the thousands of Cuban-Americans that call New Jersey home will have the opportunity to visit friends and family in their ancestral homeland.”

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Photos from Governor Corzine's public events are available in the Governor's Newsroom section on the State of New Jersey web page.