MEXICO CITY, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Cuba and the United States look set for an unprecedented rapprochement at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, Mexican analysts said Friday.
The summit, which is held in Port of Spain, capital city of the Caribbean nation, is the first meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and the 34 heads of the member states of the Organization of American States, from which Cuba was excluded.
On the one hand, Latin American nations are unusually united, said Adalberto Santana, director of the Latin America and Caribbean Studies Center of Mexico's National Autonomous University.
"Most Latin American nations will demand an end to the Cuba embargo," he said. "And even Mexico will have to join that demand."
The U.S. began a series of ever-tighter embargoes on Cuba in the early 1960s, while the ice-cold relationship between the two nations that do not have diplomatic relations has warmed considerably since Obama took office.
On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described U.S. policy towards Cuba as having "failed" and welcomed overtures from Cuban President Raul Castro.
"We are continuing to look for more productive ways going forward because President (Barack) Obama and I and the administration view the present policy to Cuba as having failed," Clinton told a town hall meeting in the Dominican Republic that was streamed live on the Internet.
On Monday, Obama announced lifting restrictions on Cuban-Americans sending remittances to the island and traveling there to see relatives. The measures had been imposed by Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, who left office on Jan. 20.
"The lifting of travel restrictions is a pretty big deal," said Federico Estevez, a political science expert at the Mexico Autonomous Technological Institute in Mexico City. After that "you can't just go back to the verbal warfare of the Bush years."
Cuba's leaders seem to have taken the hint. Speaking in Venezuela on Thursday, Cuban President Raul Castro said his country was open for talks with the United States about "everything ... human rights, press freedom, political prisoners, everything, everything, everything they want to talk about."
However, Estevez argued that Obama is a new president in his honeymoon period and there is no guarantee that any deals will be struck.
"The summit is more of a getting-to-know-you thing. It will be an indication of the direction that the U.S. wants to move," Estevez said.
Argentina urges end of U.S. embargo against Cuba
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner on Friday urged the United States to lift its 47-year-old embargo against Cuba.
"It is now to look at the embargo and ... request that it be lifted," Fernandez de Kirchner told the opening ceremony of the 5th Summit of the Americas. Full story
Americas summit opens in Port of Spain, "new starting point" urged
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Photo taken on April 17, 2009 shows the opening ceremony of the Fifth Summit of the Americas held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. (Xinhua/David de la Paz)
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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The Fifth Summit of the Americas opened here Friday, with economy, energy, the environment, security and Cuba high on the agenda of the three-day event.
The theme of the summit, which gathered leaders from 34 countries in the hemisphere, is "Securing Our Citizens' Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability." Full story
Obama attends summit, envisions "new beginning" with Cuba
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, Apr. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to say that he envisions to seek "a new beginning" in relationship with Cuba here Friday.
"I am not interested in talking for the sake of talking. But I do believe that we can move U.S.-Cuban relations in a new direction," Obama will say, according to his prepared remarks to be delivered at the opening ceremony of the Fifth Summit of the Americas. Full story
U.S., Cuba show signs of reconciliation ahead of Americas summit
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, April 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. and Cuban leaders exchanged good-will gestures as hemispheric leaders gathered on Friday for the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago.
During Thursday's visit to Mexico, U.S. President Barack Obama said that his recent decision to remove travel and money-sending restrictions on Cuba were intended to "recast our relationship," and that it was now up to Cuba to take the next move. Full story
Obama, Chavez exchanges greeting before Americas summit opens
PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, April 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez exchanged greetings with smile outside the venue of the Fifth Summit of the Americas, in Port of Spain, minutes before the opening ceremony of the summit on Friday evening, showed TV footages. Full story
White House says "struck" by Castro's comments on U.S.-Cuban ties
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, April 17 (Xinhua) -- As U.S. President Barack Obama is attending the opening ceremony of the Summit of the Americas, the White House said Friday that it's "struck" by the comments made by Cuban president Raul Castro on U.S.-Cuba relations.
Raul Castro, brother of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, said Thursday that "everything" would be up for discussion with the Obama administration and the Cuban government may have been "wrong" in avoiding U.S.-Cuba talks in the past. Full story
Americas leaders arrives for weekend summit
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Leaders from across the western hemisphere are arriving in Port of Spain, capital of Trinidad and Tobago, for the Fifth Summit of the Americas slated for Friday evening.
U.S. President Barack Obama, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias were among the leaders who flew in the tiny oil-rich nation in the afternoon. Full story
What's on Obama's agenda at 5th Summit of the Americas
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, April 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with 33 heads of state or government of the West Hemisphere at the Fifth Summit of the Americas for the first time here later Friday.
Although more details are still to be worked out for the president's policy for the region, he has been developing a Latin America agenda since running for president last year. Full story
