domingo, 12 de abril de 2015

Cubans welcome historic Castro-Obama meeting, want results

Cubans welcome historic Castro-Obama meeting, want results
BY ANNE-MARIE GARCIA AND MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN ASSOCIATED PRESS
04/11/2015 7:45 PM 04/11/2015 7:45 PM

HAVANA
Cubans hailed Saturday's historic meeting between presidents Raul Castro
and Barack Obama but said they want to see ties warm faster between the
Cold War foes so that the lives of ordinary people on the island can
improve.

Havana residents stopped in the middle of errands or family time to
watch Castro and Obama shaking hands and addressing the press about
their efforts to re-establish diplomatic ties.

In a broadcast seen in homes and business across Cuba, both presidents
said they agreed about the need for progress. Shortly before the
meeting, Castro told gathered Latin American leaders that despite the
U.S. history of seeking regime change in Cuba, he saw Obama as "an
honest man" who could be trusted because of his humble origins.

"The fact that Raul and Obama sat down to talk in a civilized way after
all these years of such serious tensions seems historic to me," said
Roger Rodriguez, a university professor.

Irene Quintana, a homemaker, said she was cleaning house when her
grandmother called her over to watch the meeting on television.

"It seems magnificent to me, incredible. It excited me so much and I
think that it's hopeful," she said.

The Castro-Obama meeting was the most dramatic development since the two
presidents' announcement on Dec. 17 that they would release captured
spies and restore full diplomatic relations as part of an effort to
broadly normalize relations between the two countries.

The announcement was greeted inside Cuba by jubilation but emotions have
since cooled as the two countries have struggled to strike a deal on the
first landmark in normalization — the re-establishment of full embassies
in Havana and Washington.

Many Cubans are eager to see embassies and, as soon as possible, an
opening of greater trade and tourism from the United States that will
help Cuba's stagnant economy and the daily struggles of ordinary people
whose salaries of $20 a month on average make it tough to put food on
the table.

"I like that Raul left all the doors open. That seems important to me,"
Magaly Delgado, a retired office worker, said of Saturday's meeting.
"We'll see if it leads to results."

Rosa Marie Argudin, a street performer, said: "It's been years that
we've been waiting for something like this. I hope this doesn't just
remain a conversation."

Source: Cubans welcome historic Castro-Obama meeting, want results |
Miami Herald Miami Herald -
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article18292856.html

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