WASHINGTON, DC (AP):The Bush administration is ruling out any changes in its Cuba policy, including the status of a five-decade-long trade embargo, after Fidel Castro's resignation.

A State Department spokesman derided Castro's brother and heir apparent, Raúl, as "dictator lite".

Despite having wished openly for Castro's demise and the end of his rule for years, US officials said yesterday that the Cuban president's decision to step down on his own terms leaves little hope for real democratic transition in communist Cuba during President George W. Bush's final year in office it may open options for Bush's successor in the White House.