Obama and Castro Meet

Barack Obama, the President of the United States, and Raul Castro, the President of Cuba, met on Saturday, April 22, at the Summit of the Americas in Panama. In the highest-level talks in 60 years between the leaders of the two countries, both emphasized efforts to improve diplomatic relations. The U.S. President described this private meeting as 'historic,' stating that the two countries could end their Cold War-era relations. According to Reuters, he also stressed that he would continue to pressure for improvements in 'human rights,' the establishment of democracy, and increased freedoms. The U.S. President told reporters, 'We have a fundamentally different view on how society should be organized. And I have been very direct in saying that we will not abandon discussions on issues like democracy or human rights, freedom of assembly, and freedom of expression.' Before the talks began in a small conference room, Raul Castro also emphasized his commitment to improving relations between Washington and Havana and expressed readiness to discuss human rights issues. The 83-year-old Cuban leader told reporters, 'We are willing to talk about everything. But we need to be patient. Very patient. We agree on some things and disagree on others.' After Castro shared his thoughts with reporters, the two presidents stood up and shook hands. From the White House Twitter account, Obama stated regarding U.S. policy towards Cuba: 'If you have been doing something for 50 years and you are not getting a response, you need to try something else.' In December of the previous year, the U.S. President decided to change the approach towards Cuba, initiating the normalization of relations between the two countries. The last time leaders from the U.S. and Cuba had substantive negotiations was in 1956, when Dwight Eisenhower and Fulgencio Batista met. The Cuban general was ousted from power three years later by Fidel Castro and his forces. The meeting between Castro and Obama comes as the U.S. President stated at the Summit of the Americas in Panama that 'the era of intervention' by Washington in Latin American countries has ended. Prior to this meeting, the foreign ministers of the U.S. and Cuba also met. Obama had previously expressed hope in a meeting with a group of Havana's opposition that the new era of relations between the two countries would create an environment in Cuba that would improve the living conditions of its people.