HAVANA - Cuba made official on Monday what had been rumored for weeks: It is legalizing the sale of real estate and cars and expanding the ranks of private cooperatives that could serve as engines for the sputtering economy, among other major changes.
The Communist Party's newly released economic guidelines also say the government will study the possibility of letting Cubans travel abroad as tourists, a long-time promise of Cuba's leaders that has yet to be fulfilled.
But the guidelines give few specifics, meaning islanders will have to wait to see the fine print when the strategy is eventually translated into law by Cuba's National Assembly. The guidelines also establish a commission charged with implementing the changes.
The economic overhaul aims to pull Cuba out of a deep fiscal morass by enacting free-market reforms while preserving the Communist system ushered in by Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution.
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It was approved unanimously last month at a landmark Communist Party Congress, but the final document was not released until Monday.
The guidelines went on sale Monday at newsstands and post offices and were quickly snapped up by curious Cubans.
"I hope these guidelines allow the economy to open up, but without losing social benefits," said Guillermo Vasallo, a maintenance worker in Old Havana who was particularly interested in the real estate changes.
"It is well known that we have a very difficult situation when it comes to housing ... there's a lack of resources, families are getting bigger and it is not easy."
The 313-point guidelines say the state ought to "establish the buying and selling of homes" for Cuban citizens. There is no mention of how the system will work, what restrictions will be imposed or what taxes might be levied - all crucial to judging the scope of the changes.
