PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, April 18 (Xinhua)
-- U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday continued to use soft diplomacy to
win back Latin American countries who have long been suspicious about their
powerful neighbor.
The U.S. president, who was attending the 5th Summit
of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, sat down with 33 other leaders from
across the continent to discuss issues of mutual concern ranging from economic
crisis to energy security.
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U.S. President Barack Obama addresses
the opening ceremony of the Fifth Summit of Americas in Port of Spain,
Trinidad and Tobago, April 17, 2009.(Xinhua/David de la Paz)
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"I have a lot to learn, and I am very much looking
forward to listening and figuring out how we can work together more
effectively," he told reporters at the start of the meetings.
On
the sidelines of the summit, Obama made another friendly encounter with
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a harsh critic of U.S. policies.
The two presidents exchanged handshakes and pats on
the back, with Chavez presenting a book to Obama in front of photographers.
The book, entitled "The Open Veins of Latin America:
Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent" and written by left-wing Uruguayan
Eduardo Galeano, gives an account of the exploitation of Latin American
resources by big powers including the United States.
"I thought it was one of Chavez's books," Obama told
reporters later. "I was going to give him one of mine."
This was the second time the two leaders met in
friendly terms since the opening of the summit on Friday night.
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Presidents of Chile Michelle Bachelet,
Argentina Cristina Fernandez, the U.S. Barack Obama and Brazil Inacio Lula
da Silva (L-R) talk before the opening ceremony of the 5th Summit of the
Americas in Port of Spain April 17, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo)
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Shortly before the opening ceremony, Obama and Chavez
shook hands and exchanged greetings with smile when Obama greeted Chavez in
Spanish. "I want to be your friend," said Chavez to Obama.
On Saturday, Obama again expressed his willingness to
speak with the Cuban government on issues including human rights and political
prisoners.
Though not on the official agenda of the summit,
which is supposed to focus on energy, security and economic crisis, the Cuba
issue has become one of the dominant issue as Latin American leaders stepped up
calls on the United States to lift its 47-year-old trade embargo against Cuba.
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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez gives
U.S. President Barack Obama a copy of "Las Venas Abiertas de America
Latina" by author Eduardo Galiano during a meeting at the Summit of the
Americas in Port of Spain, Trinidad April 18, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo)
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Along with some other countries, Venezuela has vowed
to withhold support for the outcome document of the summit, the Declaration of
the Port of Spain, which is due to be signed by the leaders on Sunday at the end
of the summit.
In response, Obama said Friday that he intends to
seek a "new beginning" in relationship with Cuba, the only country in the
continent excluded from the summit.
"I am prepared to have my administration engage with
the Cuban government on a wide range of issues -- from drugs to migration and
economic issues to human rights, free speech and democratic reform," Obama
said.
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Some heads of state and government to
the Fifth Summit of Americas pose for an official photo in Port of Spain,
Trinidad and Tobago, April 18, 2009.(Xinhua/Pool/Celso
Junior)
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