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 In the first meeting of its kind in nearly 60 years, U.S.
President Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro sat down
together for over an hour on Saturday at a regional summit in
Panama, moving a step closer to restoring diplomatic ties.
It was the result of nearly two years of secret talks and quiet
diplomacy and the mood was positive, both inside the room and out,
where Latin American leaders praised Obama for ending decades of
U.S. hostility toward the communist-ruled island.
Obama clearly sees Cuba as a possible success story for his policy
of engaging U.S. foes.
At a time of multiple risks to his foreign policy record - from
Iran's nuclear program and the war in Syria to Russian involvement
in Ukraine and the violence of Islamic State - getting on well with
Cuba looks relatively easy.
"The Cold War is over," Obama said. "I think there is a strong
majority both in the United States and in Cuba that says our ability
to engage, to open up commerce and travel and people-to-people
exchanges is ultimately going to be good for the Cuban people."
Yet the gulf between the two sides remains wide, illustrated by the
absence of U.S. and Cuban flags at the carefully orchestrated
meeting on Saturday in a sparsely furnished conference room.
The U.S. economic embargo, which has blocked nearly all trade
between the two nations for the last five decades, is firmly in
place. Cuba's human rights record stills draw scorn from Washington,
as does U.S. foreign policy from Havana.
"Let's not fool ourselves. We have a lot of differences," said
Castro, 83, who has been an enemy of the United States for most of
his life and still railed passionately against its past policies
even as he praised Obama as "an honest man".
"In other words, we're willing to talk about everything with
patience, with a lot of patience," added the army general and
younger brother of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro.
Obama and Castro announced in December they would work to
re-establish full diplomatic ties severed in 1961, reopen embassies
in each other's capitals and free up trade and travel.
Restoring diplomatic relations is easy enough, requiring little more
than the presidents' agreement. But normalizing overall relations
could take years.
Cuba has shown no signs that it is willing to allow wider political
rights. The government dismisses dissidents as mercenaries, moves
quickly to stifle dissent, and Castro has made clear he does not
intend to allow any relaxation of Communist Party rule.
And while Cuba is looking to draw in foreign investment, any U.S.
businesses seeking to set up there need the government's blessing.
Castro's government moves cautiously, as it has shown with its own
market-style economic reforms in recent years.
TERRORISM LIST
In the short term, Cuba is still waiting to be removed from the U.S.
State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism, a unilateral
designation that Cuba rejects as unjust.
Obama is expected to inform Congress within a few days he is taking
Cuba off the list, which would free the island from some economic
sanctions.
There had been some expectations that Obama would announce his
intention to remove the terrorism designation and move forward on
restoring diplomatic relations at the summit.
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Though there is little doubt that Havana will be taken off the
blacklist, U.S. officials privately have made clear that they have
sought to use the timing of the move as leverage in broader
normalization negotiations.
A number of unresolved issues have slowed down the process,
including Washington's wish that Cuba allow U.S. diplomats to travel
around the island and relax the police presence around the
diplomatic mission in Havana, where visiting Cubans are closely
watched.
"They're building a road, and when you're building a road you don't
expect to finish right away," Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff,
speaking in Panama, said of the U.S.-Cuba relationship.
Obama wants the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress to dismantle the
embargo and some allies believe a coalition of Democrats and
Republican free-marketeers may succeed.
It could be a long battle.
The U.S. president has already used his executive powers to ease
travel restrictions to Cuba, and allow U.S. importers to buy goods
from independent Cuban contractors and exporters to ship building
materials to private Cuban companies.
He has so far used those powers sparingly, however, and Cuba would
like him to go further.
"President Obama retains ample executive authority ... to eliminate
the embargo," said Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.
U.S. officials acknowledge Obama can ease more restrictions on his
own, within limits, but they are waiting to see the results of the
latest changes before deciding future measures.
While Cuba is keen to reopen embassies and see more U.S. sanctions
lifted, U.S. officials say the communist government appears intent
on moving slowly toward full normalization, fearful that a quick
opening in areas like travel, trade and Internet access might loosen
its grip on Cuban society.The meeting between Obama and Castro was
marked by what one U.S. official described as a spirited
back-and-forth over issues that divide them, including human rights
and press freedoms.
"There wasn’t tension," the official said, adding that there were
also "lighter moments" when the leaders marveled at how unimaginable
such a meeting would have been not long ago.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta, Matt Spetalnick, Dave Graham and David
Alire Garcia; Editing by Kieran Murray)
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