President Obama on Saturday told leaders of Latin American that he’s “not interested in having battles that, frankly, started before I was born.”
The remark came at a summit in Panama where leaders from countries in North, Central and South America are meeting discuss a range of issues and where Obama is expected to meet with Cuban President Raul Castro.
Prior to comments from Obama, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa directed some criticism at the U.S. He said the embargo against Cuba, which was recently loosened up to a large extent, is “illegal” and that Guantanamo Bay should be given back to the island country.
“The United States is focused on the future,” Obama said, after Correa finished. “We’re not caught up in ideology; at least, I’m not.”
Obama returned some of the criticism to Correa, accusing him of jailing citizens who speak out against his leadership.
“The Cold War’s been over for a long time,” Obama said. “I’m not interested in having battles that, frankly, started before I was born.”
It is reported that Obama may use the summit on Saturday to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terror.
During Castro’s own remarks, he absolved Obama of responsibility for tensions between the U.S. and Cuba. “I apologize to him because President Obama had no responsibility for this,” he said, referring directly to the Cuba embargo.
On Friday, Obama and Castro were seen shaking hands.
