Castro notes 'genocidal' blockade remains

HAVANA, April 14 (UPI) -- Fidel Castro Tuesday criticized the Obama administration for not ending the embargo when it dropped travel restrictions for Cuban-Americans.

In an editorial appearing in Cuba's official Granma newspaper, the former Cuban leader lambasted the White House for "not uttering a word" about the embargo, which he said "constitutes a measure of genocide."

The White House announced Monday it was dropping a restriction on travel to Cuba by Cuban-Americans that the Bush administration adopted in 2004, limiting Cuban-American travel to visit immediate family on the communist island to once every three years.

Limits on remittances from the estimated 1.5 million Cuban-Americans to family back home were also dropped.

The United States has eased some "hateful restrictions" against Cuba but left the harshest measure, the economic embargo, Castro said.

The Obama administration said it thinks the shift in policy will help bring about a more democratic Cuban government, White House Latin American policy adviser Dan Restrepo said Monday.