(Newswire.net — March 22, 2016) —Barack Obama arrived in Havana, Cuba on Sunday and is the first U.S. president to visit Cuba since the revolution in 1959.
Obama had already met Cuban President Raul Castro three times, however, this is the first time that the two presidents met in Havana, the capital of Cuba.
The historic meeting took place at the Palace of the Revolution. Before the talks, Obama and Castro shook hands, then strolled past an honor guard and assembled dignitaries.
After the talks, the two presidents held a press conference.
The Cuban President again called for the complete abolition of the decades-long U.S. trade embargo against Cuba. Obama said that the embargo will be lifted, although he does not know when, while Castro promised that if he gets a list of political prisoners, he will release them immediately.
Obama told reporters that Castro and himself had an open and honest discussions about democracy and human rights. The U. S. president said that progress has been made in bringing down the barriers between the two countries.
The two countries have distinctions, especially regarding freedom of speech, assembly and religious freedoms, Obama said, but he added that he is convinced that the two governments are capable of constructive dialogue, reports the AP.
Obama said that part of key to success is increasing the number of tourists who travel between the two countries, increasing trade, and he added, that this is a new day in relations between the U.S. and Cuba.
Commenting on the 54-year-old economic embargo against Cuba, which is still in force, Obama said that it will be repealed but he does not know when. The speed of lifting the embargo will depend in part on how quickly the disagreements can be and will be resolved in terms of human rights, Obama explained.
Cuban President Raul Castro said that there will always be disagreements between Cuba and the United States, especially while the US had double standards on the issue of human rights. He said that the cooperation would be much better if Washington’s decade long trade embargo against Cuba was lifted.
Castro told reporters that the core differences between the US and Cuba will never fade and denied that there are political prisoners in Cuba.
U.S. President Obama and Cuban President Castro met for the first time in April 2015 at a summit meeting of Western Hemisphere nations in Panama City. After that, they spoke in September 2015 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
The President of the United States landed in Havana on Sunday, with his family – First Lady Michelle Obama, the couple’s daughters Malia Ann and Natasha, and mother-in-law Marian Robinson.
Ahead of the meeting with Castro, the U.S. President said that he expected a change in Cuba.