Raul and Obama Meet at 7th Summit of the Americas

HAVANA, Cuba, Apr 11 (acn) Presidents Raul Castro and Barack Obama finally met on Saturday, during a break of the last day of sessions of the 7th Summit of the Americas, a widely expected meeting by all participants in the Panama Summit.
Raul said that the main thing is that the two nations are ready to discuss about everything, even about human rights and freedom of the press, about these and other issues, of Cuba and also of the United States.
In my opinion, everything can be discussed if we do it with mutual respect, considered the Cuban President. “Perhaps we will convince each other about some things and not about others.”
We don’t have to build our hopes up, he said; we have many differences and a complex history, but we are willing to make progress in the meetings to reestablish diplomatic relations.
Raúl referred to the opening of embassies, the increase of visits between the two peoples and to the practice all questions typical of "nearby neighbors."
For his part, Obama said that the history between the U.S. and Cuba was complicated, since there has been distrust for a long time. After 50 years, it is time for something new, he added.
It is important to maintain contact between the governments and peoples, he said. "We are on the way to the future; we will leave on our backs the things that made past complicated."
Obama said the two peoples have positively supported the changes. The more exchanges we have there more direct contact and greater connection between our peoples will be, he expressed.
Deep and significant differences will continue to exist, we will continue trying to "eliminate concerns about democracy and human rights," he stated.
"As Raul said in his impassioned speech, they also try to eliminate those concerns." Both countries can turn the page, forging new relations, he added.
We want our diplomats to have more daily contact, he said, to the point of opening the two embassies.
"Our thanks to Castro for the spirit of openness he has shown towards us." We can continue building our relationship based on mutual respect, he pointed out.
In his speech, Castro spoke about the hardships Cubans have had to endure; my policy is to help them to be more prosperous. "The Cuban people are a visionary, intelligent and brilliant people," he concluded.
The consolidation of regional cooperation and its expansion to other mutually beneficial areas were topics dealt with by presidents Raul Castro, of Cuba, and Barack Obama, of the United States, as declared to the press by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.
The struggle against drug trafficking, cyber-security surveillance, environmental protection and adaptation to climate change, as well as prevention in the field of health, particularly in relation to the expansion of pandemics, will be topics of interest in the next talks between the two countries.
The FM also informed that the heads of state analyzed the progress made since the historic announcements of December 17.
Likewise, he highlighted the attitude assumed by Obama of making explicit the change of a policy maintained by the United States for over 50 years, which included his acceptance that the blockade causes damage to the Cuban people and isolation to U.S. citizens.
Susan Rice, national security adviser; Roberta Jacobson, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs; Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser; and Ricardo Zuniga, director of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the National Security Council, also participated in the meeting.
Also representing Cuba at the meeting was Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez; Alejandro Castro and Juan Francisco Arias, of the National Committee for Defense and Security; and the general director of United States Office of the Foreign Ministry, Josefina Vidal.

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Fotos: Estudios Revolución