PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad — Trading their warmest words in a half-century, the U.S. and Cuba built momentum toward renewed ties on Friday, with President Barack Obama declaring he "seeks a new beginning” — including direct talks — with the island’s communist regime.
As leaders of the Americas gathered for a summit in this Caribbean nation, the head of the Organization of American States even said he’ll ask his group to invite Cuba back after 47 years.
In remarks kicking off the weekend gathering of nations — of which Cuba was the only country in the region not represented — Obama repeated the kind of remarks toward the Castro regime that marked his presidential campaign.
Analysts cautioned that the week’s developments were encouraging but do not necessarily mean normalized relations are around the corner
"This is a thaw, but it’s ... going to take some time,” said Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. "There’s a lot of distrust.”
The flurry of back-and-forth gestures began earlier this week when Obama dropped restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba, challenging his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro, to reciprocate.
Obama renewed his promise for his administration to engage with the Cuban government "on a wide range of issues,” including human rights, free speech, democratic reform, drugs, immigration and the economy.
As leaders of the Americas gathered for a summit in this Caribbean nation, the head of the Organization of American States even said he’ll ask his group to invite Cuba back after 47 years.
In remarks kicking off the weekend gathering of nations — of which Cuba was the only country in the region not represented — Obama repeated the kind of remarks toward the Castro regime that marked his presidential campaign.
Analysts cautioned that the week’s developments were encouraging but do not necessarily mean normalized relations are around the corner
"This is a thaw, but it’s ... going to take some time,” said Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. "There’s a lot of distrust.”
The flurry of back-and-forth gestures began earlier this week when Obama dropped restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba, challenging his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro, to reciprocate.
Obama renewed his promise for his administration to engage with the Cuban government "on a wide range of issues,” including human rights, free speech, democratic reform, drugs, immigration and the economy.
