Cuban president pledges support to Syria's self-determination

Cuban President Raul Castro has pledged support to Syria during his meeting with Mohsen Bilal, the special envoy of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, the official newspaper Granma reported on Friday. During the meeting held on Thursday, Castro reiterated the island's support to the right of the Syrian people to exercise fully its self-determination and sovereignty without any foreign interference. For his part, Bilal informed the Cuban president of the current situation in his country, the report said. Bilal also met with Cuban First Vice-President Miguel Diaz- Canel. Syria has suffered from an internal armed conflict since March 2011, and Cuba has criticized the countries supporting the Syrian opposition and called for a peaceful solution to the confrontation.