Barack Obama has shaken hands with Cuban President Raul Castro at a memorial service for Nelson Mandela.
U.S. President Barack Obama (L) shakes hands with Cuban President Raul
Castro (Getty Images)
The handshake between the leaders of the two Cold War enemies came during a ceremony in Johannesburg that is largely focused on Mr Mandela's legacy of reconciliation.
Mr Castro smiled as the US leader shook his hand on the way to the
podium to pay tribute to the late South African president, a global
symbol of peace.
It was an extremely rare gesture between the leaders of two nations
that have been at loggerheads for more than half a century. US officials
often have gone to great lengths to avoid having presidents meet Cuban
leaders, even in passing.
It was Mr Obama who offered the handshake in a new sign of his
willingness to reach out to US enemies, a US official told the AFP news
agency.
In Havana, the government website Cubadebate.cu ran a photograph of the
moment with the caption: "Obama greets Raul: May this image be the
beginning of the end of the US aggressions against Cuba".
The two nations have had only limited ties for half a century, most of
it under the iron fist rule of Raul's brother, Fidel Castro.
The US maintains a five-decade-old embargo against the communist island nation, which Havana says has cost the economy $1.1tn.
Recently, the US and Cuba have taken small steps toward rapprochement.
The countries have reached agreements on cooperation on air and
maritime rescue and on migratory issues. In 2011, Mr Obama eased
restrictions on visas, remittances and travel.
Sky News Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall noted Mr Obama had to walk past Mr Castro on his way to podium.
But he added: "The Americans will have pinpointed every single
movement, every single second of Obama, from the moment he lands to the
moment to he leaves.
"So they will have had the seating plan and so they did not take any
steps to prevent it - and I think that does tell us that there is the
possibility of a rapprochement between the two countries."
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| Mr Obama and First Lady Michelle upon arrival in South Africa |
Sky News
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