Panama City--US President Barack Obama and Cuba's Raul Castro held unprecedented face-to-face talks in Panama on Saturday, soothing decades of Cold War-era antagonism in a historic effort to restore diplomatic ties.
In the first sitdown between leaders of both nations since 1956, Obama thanked Castro for his "spirit of openness and courtesy" during their interactions, while the communist leader stressed that the negotiations will require patience.
The talks were the climax of their surprise announcement on December 17 that, after 18 months of secret negotiations, they would seek to normalize relations between their two nations.
"This is obviously a historic meeting," said Obama, who spoke first after they sat down in polished, wooden chairs for their talks on the sidelines of the 35-nation Summit of the Americas.
Obama declared that, after 50 years of US policies that had not worked, "it was time for us to try something new."
"We are now in a position to move on a path toward the future," he said, adding that the immediate task was to reopen embassies that shuttered after the 1961 diplomatic break.
Castro cracked a smile when Obama acknowledged that the two sides will continue to have differences on human rights and other issues.
After Obama spoke, the two men stood up and shook hands.
Saying he agreed with everything Obama said, Castro said the two governments can still have differences but "with respect of the ideas of the others."
AFP
