Cuban leader calls for efficiency to boost economy

Cuban leader Raul Castro on Monday called for "working discipline and efficiency" in the government to facilitate the country's effort to improve its economy by boosting foreign investments this year."We must systematically fight potential problems and stop them before they arise," Castro, who started his second and last five-year term in late February, told the cabinet during an extended meeting."If we work well, everything can be solved," he added.The 82-year-old leader has been promoting the country's economic efficiency since he took office in 2008. In 2011, he launched 300 economic reforms, trying to slash state payrolls and encourage private-sector growth and foreign investments.Cuba will provide investors with better protections this year, Vice President Adel Yzquierdo said at the meeting, adding that more technical and financial support will be guaranteed for importers.Rodrigo Malmierca, minister of foreign trade and investment, described "irregularity and inefficiency" as the main and persistent problem in the country's foreign trade operations and caused economic losses for Cuba.