PANAMA CITY — President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro on Friday moved toward a groundbreaking meeting on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas in what would be a remarkable display of reconciliation.
The powerful symbolism of a face-to-face exchange Saturday between the two leaders could signal progress even though both sides are still working through nettlesome issues that would lead to the opening of embassies in Washington, D.C., and Havana, the first stage in a new diplomatic relationship.
“The two leaders will be able to address and take stock in any discussion they have over where we are in the process of normalization, where we are in the discussions around the establishment of embassies and where we continue to have differences,” said White House deputy security adviser Benjamin Rhodes.
The White House was coy over the status of the State Department’s recommendation to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terror. Removal is a top issue with Castro because it would not only eliminate Cuba’s status as a pariah but would ease Cuba’s ability to conduct financial transactions.
The pace of activity over the terrorism list suggested that if Obama did not make an announcement Saturday, one would come soon.
Indeed, the U.S.-Cuban outreach has entered a new, accelerated stage in recent days, with Obama speaking with Castro by phone Wednesday and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry holding a lengthy meeting with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez late Thursday.
The Cuban foreign ministry issued a brief account of the Kerry-Rodriguez meeting, saying that for nearly three hours they discussed the re-establishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of embassies in a “respectful and constructive atmosphere.”
