PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad: President Barack Obama offered a spirit of cooperation to America’s hemispheric neighbors at a summit yesterday, listening to their complaints about past US interference in the region and even reaching out to Venezuela’s fiery leftist leader.
While he worked to ease friction between the US and leaders at the Summit of the Americas, Obama cautioned them to resist a temptation to blame all their problems on their behemoth neighbor to the north.
“I have a lot to learn and I very much look forward to listening and figuring out how we can work together more effectively,” Obama said.
Obama said he was ready to accept Cuban President Raul Castro’s proposal of talks on issues once off-limits for Cuba, including the scores of political prisoners held by the communist government. While praising America’s initial effort to thaw relations with Havana, the leaders pushed the US to go further and lift the 47-year-old US trade embargo on the island nation.
To Latin American nations reeling from a sudden plunge in exports, Obama promised a new hemispheric growth fund, an initiative to increase Caribbean security and a new regional partnership to develop alternative energy sources and fight global warming.
As the first full day of meetings began on the two-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, Obama exchanged handshakes and pats on the back with Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, who once likened President George W. Bush to the devil. In front of photographers, Chavez gave Obama a copy of “The Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent,” a book by Eduardo Galeano, which chronicles US and European economic and political interference in the region.
When a reporter asked Obama what he thought of the book, the president replied: “I thought it was one of Chavez’ books. I was going to give him one of mine.” Later, during a group photo, Obama reached behind several leaders at the summit to shake Chavez’ hand for the third time. Obama summoned a translator and the two smiled and spoke briefly.
Those exchanges followed a brief grip and grin for cameras on Friday night when Obama greeted Chavez in Spanish. “I think it was a good moment,” Chavez said about their initial encounter. “I think President Obama is an intelligent man, compared to the previous US president.” The White House said Chavez was civil in his criticism of the US during a summit meeting, but that there was no discussion of reinstating ambassadors who were kicked out of each other’s countries last year.
Despite Obama’s pledge of a new era of mutual respect toward Latin America, Bolivia’s President Evo Morales, another leftist leader in South America, said Washington continues to conspire against him. Morales told reporters that in the nearly 100 days since Obama took office, he has seen no change in US hostility to his nation.
