US President Barack
Obama has said his meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro will help both
countries "turn the page" after decades of hostility.
He described the
meeting on the fringes of the Summit of the Americas in Panama as "candid
and fruitful".
Mr Obama said that the
former foes would continue to have differences but could advance mutual
interests.
The meeting was the
first formal talks between the two countries' leaders in more than half a
century.
"What we have
both concluded is that we can disagree with a spirit of respect and
civility," said President Obama. "Over time, it is possible for us to
turn the page and develop a new relationship between our two countries."
His remarks came at
the end of a regional summit which has been dominated by the historic thaw
between US-Cuba relations.
Cuban leader Raul
Castro said that the two countries had "agreed to disagree" when
necessary.
"We are disposed
to talk about everything, with patience," he said. "Some things we
will agree with, and others we won't."
Earlier, the Cuban
leader referred to Mr Obama as an "honest man" after a lengthy speech
largely taken up with the history of the relationship between the US and Cuba.
"When I talk
about the revolution, the passion oozes out of me," the Cuban leader said.
"I have to ask President Obama for forgiveness. He is not responsible for
the things which happened before his time."
Latin
American and Caribbean leaders at the summit in Panama have welcomed the
reconciliation.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff hailed it as a courageous
effort to end the last vestiges of the Cold War, which she said had caused
great damage in the hemisphere.
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina gave the
main credit to Cuba, saying it had fought with unprecedented dignity against
the US blockade.
