Cuba Thaw, Venezuela Sanctions Frame Summit Of The Americas Setting
Cuba Thaw, Venezuela Sanctions Frame Summit Of The Americas Setting
By Suzanne Gamboa
The U.S. wants to emphasize trade, economic development and security, but the upcoming seventh Summit of the Americas will be greatly shaped by America's new policies toward Cuba and sanctions on Venezuelan officials.
President Barack Obama heads to Panama for the summit after a swing through Jamaica for a meeting with 14 heads of Caribbean countries. It's the first trip by a U.S. president to Jamaica since 1982.
A first also is to be achieved when the Summit of the Americas starts Friday. Cuba's president Raul Castro plans to attend, and administration officials said Tuesday that he and Obama are likely to have some interactions at various events, although no formal meetings are planned. Cuba was kept off the invite list for years in deference to the U.S.
"This is a (U.S.) president that's arriving at the Summit of the Americas with significant expansion of our relationship with the Americas … and significant progress that includes a reformulation of our relationship with Cuba after 50 years of isolation," said Ricardo Zuñiga, senior director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council.
More:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/summit-n337296
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