Cuba Eases Curb on Sale of Tvs and Computers

Cuba has eased restrictions on the sale of computers, DVD players and other electrical goods, in the first sign of economic liberalization since Fidel Castro retired last month. The appliances will go on sale immediately and be available to anybody who can pay, according to an internal government memo seen by the news agency Reuters.

The move followed promises by Raúl Castro, the new president, to improve dire living standards which make daily life a grind and erode confidence in the island's communist leadership.

"Based on the improved availability of electricity, the government at the highest level has approved the sale of some equipment which was prohibited," the memo said. The list of newly available goods included 19-inch and 24-inch TVs, electric pressure cookers and rice cookers, electric bicycles, car alarms and microwaves. Air conditioners may become available next year, followed by toasters and electric ovens in 2010.

The sale of many appliances was banned in the 1990s, when the end of Soviet subsidies led to an energy crisis and daily blackouts. Subsidized oil from Venezuela is now filling the gap, allowing Havana's policymakers to ease restrictions.

With an average monthly salary of just £8, few Cubans will be able to splash out, but the relaxation was seen as a sign that the government was serious about addressing economic grievances.

When illness forced Fidel Castro to step aside in 2006, there was speculation that, as interim president, his less ideological and more pragmatic brother would cautiously try to copy China's economic liberalization. Raúl's confirmation as president last month appears to have emboldened him to make his first concrete move. "The country's priority will be to meet the basic needs of the population, both material and spiritual," said Raúl, who, at 76, is some five years younger than his brother, upon formally taking office.

If confirmed, the move shows practical recognition of the desire for material improvements, said David Jessop, director of the Cuba Initiative, a London-based body which promotes trade between the island and Britain. "It will be interesting to see whether this step is followed by other changes in the coming months in relation to agriculture, travel and access to tourism facilities."

Until now only foreigners could buy computers. Internet access remains tightly controlled, but there is a growing underground network of bloggers critical of the revolution's shortcomings. Permitting more computers might bolster their impact.

A relaxation of customs rules allowed some DVD players through the airport last year, fueling hunger for foreign films other than those officially permitted.

By opening the lid a fraction the government could stoke expectations of further changes, such as ending the reviled dual currency system, which will be trickier to manage. Raúl and his inner circle of old guard revolutionaries have evidently calculated that that is less risky than keeping the lid on tight.

In the latest sign of discontent, seven players from the under-23s national football team defected this week after an Olympic qualifying match against the US in Florida.