Barack Obama, Cuba’s Raul Castro Shake Hands at Summit
This will drive the wingnuts berserk.
President Barack Obama shook hands and chatted with Cuban President Raul Castro in Panama Friday ahead of a face-to-face discussion scheduled for Saturday aimed at thawing dismal relations between the two nations.
The brief encounter was deeply significant, and was the first time in more than 50 years that leaders of Cuba and the United States have spent real time together.
“As the United States begins a new chapter in our relationship with Cuba, we hope it will create an environment that improves the lives of the Cuban people,” Obama told a gathering of civil society groups.
While a U.S. official characterized the greeting as an “informal interaction” and not a substantive conversation, the two leaders are expected to meet Saturday. The summit is the first time Cuba has been included among the Central, North and South American countries invited to attend. For decades, the U.S. had blocked Cuba from participating.
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