Agence France-Presse. May 17, 2011. President Barack Obama seized on an extraordinary overture from Cuba to propose talks aimed at breaking the half-century hostility born between Washington and Havana during the Cold War. He told a Summit of the Americas with Latin American leaders in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday. He told a Summit of the Americas with Latin American leaders in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday that he wanted to establish "a new beginning" with Cuba that would recognize past U.S. "errors," but require reciprocal gestures from the communist island.">Agence France-Presse. May 17, 2011. President Barack Obama seized on an extraordinary overture from Cuba to propose talks aimed at breaking the half-century hostility born between Washington and Havana during the Cold War. He told a Summit of the Americas with Latin American leaders in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday. He told a Summit of the Americas with Latin American leaders in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday that he wanted to establish "a new beginning" with Cuba that would recognize past U.S. "errors," but require reciprocal gestures from the communist island.">

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Obama offers Cuba 'new beginning'

Agence France-Presse. May 17, 2011. President Barack Obama seized on an extraordinary overture from Cuba to propose talks aimed at breaking the half-century hostility born between Washington and Havana during the Cold War. He told a Summit of the Americas with Latin American leaders in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday.

He told a Summit of the Americas with Latin American leaders in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday that he wanted to establish "a new beginning" with Cuba that would recognize past U.S. "errors," but require reciprocal gestures from the communist island.

The conciliatory language raised the prospect of the United States considering ending to its 47-year-old embargo on Cuba.

Several other leaders at the summit - including those from Argentina, Nicaragua and Belize - voiced a general consensus in Latin America that the embargo should be scrapped and Cuba readmitted into regional bodies.

The summit was to get into full swing yesterday. The three-day gathering of 34 countries in the Americas - all, in fact, except Cuba - was meant to address common energy, environmental and public security challenges in a succession of plenary sessions. But an unexpected gesture of conciliation by Obama towards Cuba on the first day overshadowed those issues.

"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," the U.S. president said.

The proposal came after a surprise overture from Cuban President Raul Castro, who on Thursday said he now stood ready to discuss "everything" with Washington - including specifically the hot-button issues of human rights, press freedom and political prisoners.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Cuba's closest and most vocal ally, offered an opportunity for another gesture of conciliation at the summit, briefly shaking hands with Obama late Friday.

Yesterday's summit group photo and working sessions were to afford more interaction between Obama and Latin American counterparts.

Obama was meeting face to face with counterparts from South America, including more fervent critics of the United States such as Rafael Correa of Ecuador and Evo Morales of Bolivia. Obama has received a warmer welcome than that given Bush at the last Americas summit, in Argentina in 2005.

Source: www.allvoices.com/s/event-9132000/

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