Laying bare a half-century of tensions, President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro prodded each other Monday over human rights and the longstanding U.S. economic embargo during an unprecedented joint news conference that stunned Cubans unaccustomed to their leaders being aggressively questioned.
During the exchange, Obama angered riavals at home when he welcomed Castro’s criticisms of the United States, saying he would “personally would not disagree” with Castro’s statements.
“President Castro, I think, has pointed out that in his view making sure that everybody is getting a decent education or health care, has basic security and old age, that those things are human rights as well. I personally would not disagree with him,” Obama said.
“But it doesn’t detract from some of these other concerns. And the goal of the human rights dialogue is not for the United States to dictate to Cuba how they should govern themselves, but to make sure that we are having a frank and candid conversation around this issue. And hopefully that we can learn from each other.”
The exchanges underscored deep divisions that still exist between the two countries despite rapidly improved relations in the 15 months since Obama and Castro surprised the world with an announcement to end their Cold War-era diplomatic freeze.
Obama, standing in Havana’s Palace of the Revolution on the second day of his historic visit to Cuba, repeatedly pushed Castro to take steps to address his country’s human rights record.
Castro was blistering in his criticism of the American embargo, which he called “the most important obstacle” to his country’s economic development. He also pressed Obama to return the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, which is on the island of Cuba, to his government.
“There are profound differences between our countries that will not go away,” Castro said plainly.
White House officials spent weeks pushing their Cuban counterparts to agree for the leaders to take questions from reporters after their private meeting, reaching agreement just hours before Obama and Castro appeared before cameras. It’s extremely rare for Castro to give a press conference, though he has sometimes taken questions from reporters spontaneously when the mood strikes.
While the issue of political prisoners is hugely important to Cuban-Americans and the international community, most people on the island are more concerned about the shortage of goods and their struggles with local bureaucracy.
Castro appeared agitated at times during the questioning, professing to not understand whether inquiries were directed to him.
But when an American reporter asked about political prisoners in Cuba, he pushed back aggressively, saying if the journalist could offer names of anyone improperly imprisoned, “they will be released before tonight ends.”
“What political prisoners? Give me a name or names,” Castro said.
Cuba has been criticized for briefly detaining demonstrators thousands of times a year but has drastically reduced its practice of handing down long prison sentences for crimes human rights groups consider to be political. Cuba released dozens of prisoners as part of its deal to normalize relations with the U.S., and in a recent report, Amnesty International did not name any current prisoners of conscience in Cuba. Lists compiled by Cuban and Cuban-American groups list between 47 and 80 political prisoners, although Cuban officials describe many as common criminals.
Obama’s and Castro’s comments were broadcast live on state television, which is tightly controlled by the government and the Communist Party.
At an outdoor cafe in Havana, about a dozen Cubans and tourists watched in awed silence. One woman held her hand to her mouth in shock.
“It’s very significant to hear this from our president, for him to recognize that not all human rights are respected in Cuba,” said Raul Rios, a 47-year-old driver, who also expressed agreement with Castro’s defense that Cuba is good in some areas, no country is perfect and all should try to do better.
Ricardo Herrera, a 45-year-old street food vendor said, “It’s like a movie but based on real life.”
After responding to a handful of questions, Castro ended the news conference abruptly, declaring, “I think this is enough.”
Obama then appeared to lean in to pat Castro on the back. In an awkward moment, the Cuban leader instead grabbed Obama’s arm and lifted it up as the U.S. president’s wrist dangled, an image that immediately grabbed attention on social media.
Obama’s visit to Cuba is a crowning moment in his and Raul Castro’s bid to normalize ties between two countries that sit just 90 miles apart. The U.S. leader traveled with his family and was taking in the sights in Old Havana and attending a baseball game between the beloved Cuban national team and the Tampa Bay Rays. Monday night, Castro honored the Americans with a state dinner at Havana’s Palace of the Revolution.
Obama’s visit is being closely watched in the United States, where public opinion has shifted in support of normalized relations with Cuba. Still, many Republicans — including some hoping to succeed Obama as president — have vowed to roll back the diplomatic opening if elected.
Castro was asked by an American reporter whether he favored the election of Republican front-runner Donald Trump or likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Castro smiled and said simply, “I cannot vote in the United States.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
This puke will not leave our “white” house willingly, guaranteed. What did they expect when the jealous freeloaders elected an America hating muslim.
We the people need to make him leave
why can’t we all take him. an send him back where he came from an get a better one. BUT who. ??
We need to remove him based on him not be eligible to run for President just like Cruz. They are naturalized Citizens not natural born citizen and you can now see regarding the Military why this distinction is important. This is the very reason they stated “natural born citizen” so that only a person who was born in this country to parents who are citizens could be President. Look what he is doing to the military!!!
When will congress get some balls and either impeach the sonofabitch or tar and feather the bastard and ship the ass hole back to Kenya.
Well, Obama is staying true to form on his desire to blame America. President Obama and President Castro have several things in common: they both favor communism over capitalism, both hate America, both feel America should be brought down a few notches, both feel their political opponents should have no rights and both like the idea of being dictators. Cuba is President Obama’s idea of utopia–the working class are poor, the president has absolute power and dissenters wind up in prison.
this guy is living in a fantasy land he’s a legend in his own mind
I believe this whole U.S./Cuba show is an effort to further aggravate Putin. Crap will hit the fan and Obama will try to say we were just doing what was morally correct and what we and Cuba do is our business. “our Business” though is more like “Obama Agenda ” stuff that has little or nothing to do with taking care of the problems this nation already have. Obama could not handle them so he goes off on something on his own; still turning his back on the 40-45 million American workers in need of work!
Lets see I the next 6-12 months how it plays out but I have little doubt we will see sparks flying between Putin and Obama or whoever we get to replace him.
Obama is wasting our oxygen. He is gone in a few months and hopefully he will take his Muslim family and go back to Kenya. He has disgraced this country and if he thinks Castro is his buddy he’s dreaming.
The worse a country treats it’s people the more obama loves them. It’s almost like he’s trying to make us see that his transformation of the usa will compare to, he’s showing us where we are headed when he doesn’t leave next year.
Once in a great while Mr. Obama is caught in a truth.
The idiot in chief better not give up Guantanamo For If He Does It Will Be IN The Hands Of The Chinese military faster than you can say impeach Obama.
on television the American flag on left side of the speech it should be on the RIGHTSIDE. not left
So many people have died because of this African Muslim in American clothing. If he wasn’t so dangerous, I would say he is irrelevant now. Can we weather the next nine months. Amazing how clear his treachery has become, from not backing up the line in the sand he, Obama allowed Isis to persecute, murder and drive refugees from countries and with them imbedded terrorists. These terrorists have been able to cross into foreign countries that once could have vetted them on an individual basis but not when they are amongst the throng. Because of of that I am for zero tolerance of Muslims until we can figure out a way to completely vet them. We can’t let Obama and the irresponsible left complete this idiosy. Time to wall us off. Protect our ports and airports and make this a country with borders, a common language and a sense of pride in our hard earned freedom.
The only decent thng I can tink he ever did, and it was too late, was ask Hillary Clinton for her resignation from the State Depatment. With the investigations into the loss of billions of dollars the State Department was responsible for (was never found), the lack of security at Benghazi, and her illegal server and security information violations, PLUS the fact, She had just recently, preceding her own resignation, forced the resignation of a U.S. Ambassador (a retired military General Officer) for using a personal server similar to the one she was using at the same time!
Meanwhile Brussels and the rest of the civil world are in mourning That basted should stay right there in communist Cuba. I’m pretty sure he feels right at home there.
Boy , everyone is so narrow minded. Typical for average citizens. I can see his strategy. The Cuban country is poor economically. This results in strife and early deaths. Obama can see much more being done to alleviate this by boosting their economy thru vacationing and trade than any other program that he could impose. Come on people. What has changed the Soviet Union more than anything else done in history is introduction of Capitalism. I could go on forever but I will end by saying dont be haters.