Obama, Raul Castro strike optimistic tone at historic sit-down meeting
April 11, 2015, 1:20 PM, Reporting from Panama City, Source
President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro on Saturday held their first in-person meeting since announcing their bid to restore diplomatic ties, a historic break from the nations’ Cold War past that Obama said could be a “turning point” for the region.
U.S. officials stopped short of referring to the encounter, which occurred on the margins of the Summit of the Americas in Panama, as a formal bilateral meeting. They opted instead to call it a “pull-aside.”
But it was nonetheless the most substantive contact between the two men to date, and the first sit-down meeting between an American and Cuban president in more than half a century.
Significant differences remain between the two nations, particularly on democracy and human rights, Obama told reporters. But he said the two nations could disagree with a spirit of respect.
“We are now in a position to move on a path toward the future,” Obama said while seated beside his Cuban counterpart.
Castro, speaking in Spanish, echoed Obama's cautious optimism.
"We are willing to discuss everything, but we need to be patient, very patient," he said. "We might disagree on something today on which we could agree tomorrow."
In a telephone conversation Wednesday before both men departed their capitals, Obama and Castro discussed opening embassies in each other's country and other points of "diplomatic normalization." They met again briefly Friday before the summit’s opening ceremony, shaking hands.
Speaking earlier Saturday at the summit’s main public session, Obama said progress was being made in efforts to fully normalize relations. Increased travel by Americans to Cuba, cultural exchanges and potential investment will “mean more opportunity and resources for the Cuban people,” he told the gathering.
“The United States will not be imprisoned by the past,” Obama said. “We’re looking to the future, and to policies that improve the lives of the Cuban people and advance the interests of cooperation in the hemisphere.”
The widening dialogue represents a historic breakthrough between the two Cold War enemies, showcased at this seventh triennial gathering of the hemisphere's leaders. It is the first year that Cuba has been allowed to attend, a point of celebration at inaugural ceremonies.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that Castro’s presence “embodies a longing expressed by many in the region.” The audience applauded loudly as Jose Miguel Insulza, secretary-general of the Organization of American States, said he hoped the “full normalization” of ties would soon result from the new consultations.
Cuba's inclusion in the summit came as a result of pressure from the rest of Latin America as well as the December announcement that the U.S. and Cuba would reestablish diplomatic ties after more than 50 years of enmity.
Addressing the summit after Obama, Castro joked about how difficult it was to condense his remarks to the allotted eight minutes. He suggested he was owed time from the previous six sessions when Cuba’s participation was barred, and indeed proceeded to offer a lengthy history of Cuban history, including the U.S. “invasion.”
But he thanked Obama for working to restore ties and said he welcomed progress toward lifting the designation of his nation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Other leaders criticized the longstanding U.S. policy toward Cuba. Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa called the embargo of Cuba "illegal" and called for the U.S. to return to Cuban control the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo.
Obama later referred to what he derisively called Correa’s “history lesson” and said he was the first to acknowledge the U.S. hasn’t always stood up for the values it stood for.
"America doesn't make claim about being perfect. We do make claim to being open to change,” he said.
He also said the U.S. would continue to speak out on behalf of universal values, just as he is sure Castro will speak out on issues he thinks are important.
“But I firmly believe that if we can continue to move forward and seize this momentum in pursuit of mutual interests, then better relations between the United States and Cuba will create new opportunities for cooperation across our region for the security and prosperity of health and dignity of all our people,” he said.
Republicans continue to criticize of the president’s efforts at rapprochement. Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), who is leading a congressional delegation to the summit, promised that Congress would vigorously review any further steps toward normalization.
“The unrelenting and merciless oppression of the Cuban people by a regime hostile to liberty is a direct rejection of the values we as Americans hold as sacred," he said in a statement. "No regime should be rewarded for such appalling acts.”
But Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), a longtime advocate for changing U.S. policy toward Cuba who is also attending the summit, praised the steps Obama has taken and said she hopes an announcement about opening embassies in both nations comes soon.
“Fifty years of a failed policy means that it didn’t work and that something needs to change,” she said in an interview.
