Saturday, April 11, 2015

Summit of the Americas: Raul Castro Says Cuba Blockade Not Obama's Fault

PANAMA CITY (AP) -- President Barack Obama declared his refusal to refight the Cold War battles of the past on Saturday while Cuban President Raul Castro rallied to his defense, absolving Obama of fault for the U.S. blockade in a stunning reversal of more than 50 years of animosity between the United States and Cuba.

Castro, in a meandering, nearly hour-long speech to the Summit of the Americas, ran through an exhaustive history of perceived Cuban grievances against the U.S. dating back more than a century - a vivid display of how raw passions remain over American attempts to undermine Cuba's government.

Then, in an abrupt about face, he apologized for letting his emotions get the best of him. He said many U.S. presidents were at fault for that troubled history - but that Obama isn't one of them.

"I have told President Obama that I get very emotional talking about the revolution," Castro said through a translator, noting that Obama wasn't even born when the U.S. began sanctioning the island nation. "I apologize to him because President Obama had no responsibility for this."
  • In a remarkable vote of confidence from a Cuban leader, Castro added: "In my opinion, President Obama is an honest man."
Castro and Obama were expected to meet later Saturday on the sidelines of the summit - the first substantial meeting between a U.S. and Cuban president in more than five decades. The flurry of diplomacy was aimed at injecting fresh momentum into their previously announced plan to restore normal relations between the U.S. and Cuba...
 AP
 huffingtonpost.com
11/ 4/15
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1 comment :

  1. Obama-Castro meeting overshadows anti-US line at summit ...

    PANAMA CITY (AP) — As usual when Latin America leftist leaders get together with U.S. officials, there were plenty of swipes at the U.S. during the seventh Summit of the Americas.

    From 19th century territorial raids on Mexico to U.S. support for the overthrow of Chile's socialist government in 1973 and the 1989 invasion of Panama that removed Gen. Manuel Noriega, Washington's interventions in Latin America were all targets of rebuke during long speeches by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his allies. That prompted President Barack Obama to retort, "I always enjoy the history lessons that I receive when I'm here."

    But the historic meeting between Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro on Saturday before the summit closed provides the U.S. and Latin America with an opportunity to move beyond a history of grievances and mistrust and set a course of closer cooperation.........Associated Press
    12/4/15

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