Obama, Cuba President Raul Castro set to meet for first time since diplomatic thaw
But determination to mend fences and warm greetings between Mr. Obama and Mr. Castro won’t change the fact that the highly touted diplomatic reboot has gotten off to a rocky start.
Plans to open a U.S. embassy in Havana remain grounded as the White House weighs whether Cuba should be removed from a list of state sponsors of terrorism. Cuba has been on the list since 1982.
Mr. Obama has directed his State Department to expedite the review of Cuba’s status, and Havana is insisting the issue be addressed before embassies can be opened and other steps to normalize relations move forward.
The State Department reportedly is set to issue a recommendation within days that Cuba be removed from the list, though Mr. Obama still would have to sign off on the move.
“Our hope is to be in a position where we can open an embassy there, that we can start having more regular contacts and consultations around a whole host of issues, some of which we have interests in common,” Mr. Obama said in an interview with NPR.
Aiming for normalization
Despite the hang-ups, the administration is dead set on making the normalization of relations with Cuba a part of Mr. Obama’s legacy, and officials see the summit as a key step toward that goal.
“The president has a clear legacy he’s aiming to build in the hemisphere that is focused on moving beyond some of the past divisiveness within the Americas, finding new ways to engage our partners on a basis of mutual interest and mutual respect,” Ben Rhodes, the White House’s deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, said in a conference call with reporters Tuesday morning.
Mr. Rhodes said there is no official Obama-Castro meeting on the summit agenda, but it’s all but guaranteed Mr. Obama will meet with the 83-year-old Cuban leader, the younger brother of longtime island strongman Fidel Castro.
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