The new President of Cuba, Raul Castro, smiles during the Cuban National Assembly on February 24, 2008. On Sunday, 597 deputies unanimously elected a 31-member Council of State for a term of five years, which in turn elected Raul as president of the country. Raul said his older brother Fidel Castro would remain a key figure and vowed to be on guard against U.S. "meddling" as he assumed the presidency. (Xinhua/AFP) |