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Obama, Castro to meet Saturday after historic handshake

Cuban President Raul Castro and U.S. President Obama shake hands. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)
USA TODAY

PANAMA CITY — President Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro were expected to sit down for substantial talks Saturday, the first such discussions between leaders of the two nations since 1956.

The talk comes on the heels of the two leaders sharing a much-anticipated handshake at the Summit of the Americas on Friday, another historic step toward defrosting five decades of icy relations between the two countries.

The handshake happened as the two leaders arrived at a Panama City convention center for the summit's opening ceremonies, mostly away from journalists' view. But a reporter for a Venezuelan TV network posted video online showing the two greeting each other comfortably with multiple handshakes and small talk, while U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez looked on.

The handshake was the latest of a series of clear steps in the past few days signaling the two countries are continuing on their path toward normalizing relations, including opening embassies in both nations.

The White House said the interaction was informal and said they didn't engage in substantive conversation. The two men are expected to meet for substantial talks Saturday, just days after the pair spoke by phone to pave the way for more meaningful discourse here.

"We don't have a formal meeting scheduled at a certain time, but we anticipate they will have a discussion tomorrow," Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said Friday.

If the two leaders talk on Saturday, it'll be the most meaningful face-to-face encounter between U.S. and Cuban presidents since Dwight Eisenhower and Fugencio Batista met in 1956 – incidentally at another OAS gathering in Panama.

Obama and Castro arrived minutes apart in Panama City on Thursday evening for the summit, which is organized by the Organization of American States and runs through Saturday.

Obama's anticipated interaction with Castro at the conference marks not just a step toward normalized relations between the two countries, but also a revamping of U.S. standing in the region, said Richard Feinberg, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

By engaging Cuba, "President Obama has turned what is a major thorn with the entire hemisphere into a strong positive," said Feinberg, one of the original architects of the summit that began in 1994. "Ironically, Cuba and Raúl Castro now provide a shield to the United States against criticism from other left-leaning governments in Latin America."

Even as the two leaders acted cordially, tensions remained high Friday between pro- and anti-Castro activists outside the meetings. The two groups had a tense stand off in the lobby of the Hotel El Panama, yelling insults at one another. That incident came two days after a group of pro-Castro demonstrators chased and beat a group of dissidents attempting to lay flowers near the Cuban embassy here.

In a speech at the Civil Society Forum Friday, Obama urged member nations to tolerate opposing viewpoints and allow civil society to develop. " I recognize there's strong differences about the role of civil society, but I believe we can all benefit from open and tolerant and inclusive dialogue," he said. "And we should reject violence or intimidation that's aimed at silencing people's voices."

The United States and Cuba have been working to restore diplomatic ties since December, when Obama held the first conversation between U.S. and Cuban leaders in more than a half-century as part of the first steps toward normalizing ties.

In late 2013, Obama became the first U.S. president since 2000 to shake hands with a Cuban leader when he exchanged the gesture with Castro as they took seats at a memorial service for Nelson Mandela.

Around downtown Panama City, police blocked off streets with barricades, and black-beret National Police troops stood at nearly every street corner. Snipers were perched on rooftops. Panamanians were given the day off, allowing for less congestion.

The center of activity Friday morning was the Hotel Riu Plaza Panama, where a parallel CEO forum was being held. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived, as did Latin American leaders. Obama was expected to attend the forum later in the day, followed by a visit to a Civil Society Forum at another hotel.

In another major event, Kerry and Rodriguez met Thursday evening in what the State Department called "a lengthy and very constructive discussion."

"The two agreed they made progress and that we would continue to work to resolve outstanding issues," the department said in a statement.

The developments came as Obama said he would soon decide whether to remove Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism. The president said in Jamaica on Thursday that the State Department has completed its review on the issue but he has yet to receive its recommendation.

Removal from the list after 33 years would allow American banks and businesses to operate in Cuba, and clear an impediment to full diplomatic relations with the United States. If talks at the summit go well, other announcements could include the reopening of embassies and other steps to normalized ties.

 

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