US and Cuba face bumpy road ahead
In the first meeting of its kind in nearly 60 years, US President Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro sat down together for over an hour on April 11 at a regional summit in Panama, moving a step closer to restoring diplomatic ties.
It was the result of nearly two years of secret talks and quiet diplomacy and the mood was positive, both inside the room and out, where Latin American leaders praised Obama for ending decades of US hostility toward Cuba.
Obama clearly sees Cuba as a possible success story for his policy of engaging US foes.
"The Cold War is over," Obama said. "I think there is a strong majority both in the United States and in Cuba that says our ability to engage, to open up commerce and travel and people-to-people exchanges is ultimately going to be good for the Cuban people."
Yet the gulf between the two sides remains wide, illustrated by the absence of US and Cuban flags at the carefully orchestrated meeting on April 11 in a sparsely furnished conference room.
The US economic embargo, which has blocked nearly all trade between the two nations for the last five decades, is firmly in place. Cuba's human rights record stills draw scorn from Washington, as does US foreign policy from Havana.