Raul Castro: ‘President Obama Is An Honest Man’
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MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images(PANAMA CITY) — Ahead of their expected meeting Saturday afternoon, Cuban President Raul Castro praised President Obama, calling him an “honest man.”
During a session at the Summit of the Americas, the Cuban president delivered a lengthy address outlining the history between the United States and Cuba. At times, Castro grew animated and visibly angry as he discussed the United States’ treatment of his country over the last century.
After delivering one particularly heated criticism of the old U.S. policy, Castro paused and issued an apology to Obama for speaking that way about the United States, adding that the previous presidents, not him, are the ones to blame.
“I apologize to him because President Obama had no responsibility with this. He has no responsibility with this,” Castro said in Spanish, though an English speaker translated the entire speech live. “There were 10 presidents before him – who all of them have some kind of debt to us but President Obama.”
“In my opinion, President Obama is an honest man,” Castro said. The Cuban leader noted that he has read some parts of the Obama’s autobiographies, which has given him a clearer picture of the president as a person.
“I admire him and his life, and I think that his behavior has a lot to do with his humble background,” Castro said to applause from the entire room.
President Obama addressed the plenary session just before President Castro, saying the U.S. and Cuba are at a “turning point” in their relationship.
“The Cold War has been over for a long time, and I’m not interested in having battles that frankly started before I was born,” he said.
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