Barack Obama and Raúl Castro's handshake captured on video

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Barack Obama and Raúl Castro's handshake captured on video

Presidents of US and Cuba shake hands in brief but historic and apparently cordial greeting at Summit of the Americas in Panama

Associated Press
Friday 10 April 2015 22.18 EDT



Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart, Raúl Castro, have exchanged greetings and handshakes at the opening of the Summit of the Americas in Panama.

It is the first such interaction between the two men in three years, and one of the only times that the leaders of the US and Cuba have spoken to one another in more than half a century.

The moment was captured on video by Telesur, a Venezuelan network. Obama and Castro can be seen greeting each other in a big crowd while the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, and the Cuban foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez, look on. Obama and Castro shake hands multiple times while nodding and chatting comfortably.

The encounter was highly anticipated at the summit — the first to include Cuba. Castro and Obama announced in December their intentions to restore diplomatic relations between their two countries after more than 50 years of estrangement.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/apr/11/barack-obama-and-raul-castro-handshake-captured-on-video

[Hekate]

1. POTUS is going to get this thing done. nt

[Yupster]

2. I was born in January, 1959

Amazing to think of these guys as having run a country for my entire life.

Here's a brief biography of Raul Castro.

http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/thehistoryofcuba/p/09raulcastro.htm

[24601]

3. This is from that Bio: "He is thought to despise homosexuals and reputedly influenced Fidel to

jail them in the early years of their administration."

Does it matter and what assurances should the President obtain in return for improving relations?

[Klong]

6. The Middle East does the same thing

I don't know how we still accept this and push it under the rug. Grow some balls!!

[Judi Lynn]

4. Here's a short biography without strange rumor claims passing as information:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-12700491

[ronnie624]

8. "He was thought to" and "reputedly"

[Judi Lynn]

10. Crazy, isn't it? Who could swallow anything presented like that? Yikes. n/t

[Mika]

12. There's plenty here that do. And others who continue to promote the shopworn lies.

Thanks for your link.

[quadrature]

5. Dear Raul,

Dear Raul,

Please look at the picture on this webpage
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/07/09/obama_shakes_hands_with_gaddaf.html

you have been warned.
put your military on alert.

[Purveyor]

7. Oh my. Pause for thought. eom

[Little Tich]

9. I hope washed his hands afterwards.

Shaking hands with the mad dog of the Middle East could give you all kinds of diseases.

[Judi Lynn]

11. Uh, oh!

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Islam Karimov boils his political prisoners alive. They don't stay that way long.[/center]