U.S. embargo likely to remain on Cuba

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Fidel Castro's resignation as Cuba's leader wouldn't affect the U.S. embargo on the island nation, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said Tuesday.

Castro announced his resignation in a letter published Tuesday in Cuban newspapers, citing health reasons for stepping down.

When asked whether Castro's stepping down would change U.S. policy toward Cuba, Negroponte said, "I can't image that happening anytime soon."

Tensions between United States and Cuba, which have no formal diplomatic relations, have increased in the past two years, CNN reported. The Bush administration tightened the decades-old U.S. embargo on the island, pumped up the number of Radio Marti news broadcasts into Cuba, limited visits home by Cuban-Americans and curtailed how much money Cuban-Americans can send to relatives.