The president delivered a tough message to the Cuban government – begin respecting basic human freedoms.
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At a briefing for reporters in Havana later in the day, White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said he has shared with Cuban authorities many lists of political prisoners over the last 2½ years. “It’s their belief that they are not political prisoners”, he said.
After landing on the island yesterday, President Obama did a joint news conference with President Raul Castro.
Standing at a lectern flanked by US and Cuban flags, Obama laid out a hopeful vision of future US-Cuban relations and told Cubans “it’s up to you” to take steps to change the country.
But the Cuban President looked annoyed when asked about political prisoners, telling journalists to “give him a list” and then they would be released “tonight”. President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro walking together side by side.
The hot topic of conversation at Café Versailles, Monday evening, was President Barack Obama’s visit to Cuba.
“For all the politics, people are people and Cubans are Cubans”, he said. And it built up to his larger point, which was his message for the Cuban people – choose democracy.
President Barack Obama joined Cuba’s ruler Raul Castro in Havana entering this final chapter of the Cold War.
The two leaders held face-to-face meetings a day after Obama arrived for the first visit by a USA president in nearly 90 years.
Obama said he considered the demonstrations “part of democracy” and not something to fear.
Obama was cheered again when he called for Congress to lift the United States embargo that has been in place for decades in a failed attempt to bring the communist government in Havana to its knees.
Obama praised Castro for openly discussing their differences but he said a “full flowering” of the relationship would happen only with progress on the issue of rights.
After responding to a handful of questions, Castro ended the news conference abruptly, declaring, “I think this is enough”.
Castro acknowledged there were still “profound” differences over Cuba’s human rights situation and the decades-old, crippling U.S. economic embargo on the island.
Castro also said that Washington needs to return sovereignty over Guantanamo, a corner of Cuba under United States control and the location for a controversial USA military prison housing foreigners allegedly involved in terrorism.
Finally, Obama wraps up his 48-hour trip to Havana by taking in a baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team. The last and only American president to visit Cuba while in office was Calvin Coolidge in January 1928.
“And if there are these political prisoners they will be free before nightfall”.
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Obama and Castro have met three times before, but Monday’s meeting was set to be the most substantial.
