Cuba has offered a surprise olive branch to the United States ahead of Barack Obama’s regional debut at the Summit of the Americas.
Raúl Castro, Cuba’s president, said Havana was open to talks about “everything”, including contentious issues which have bedevilled relations for half a century, in a further sign of thaw between the two governments.
“We have sent word to the US government in private and in public that we are willing to discuss everything, human rights, freedom of the press, political prisoners, everything.”
The United States welcomes as an “overture” an offer of wide-ranging talks from Cuban President Raul Castro, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday.
“We have seen Raul Castro’s comments. We welcome this overture. We’re taking a very serious look at it,” Clinton said [in Santo Domingo] at a press availability with Dominican President Leonel Fernandez.
Maybe something comes of this, maybe it doesn’t. But Fidel Castro never would have made such a conciliatory statement, and George Bush never would have responded positively to it if he had. Times have changed on both sides of the Florida Straits.
