Published December 10, 2013FoxNews.com
President Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro at Tuesday's memorial service for Nelson Mandela, in a brief but rare gesture between the leaders of the two rival nations.
The handshake could rile Cuban-American lawmakers and activists whose distrust of the Castro government runs deep.
But the encounter may have been spontaneous, unlike the historic phone call earlier this year between Obama and Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani.
Obama shook Castro's hand as he made his way down a line of dignitaries, including South African President Jacob Zuma and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, on his way to deliver an address honoring the late South African leader.
In the speech in Johannesburg, Obama praised Mandela as the "last great liberator of the 20th century."
"He changed laws, but he also changed hearts," Obama said.
The handshake came amid a memorial service that lauded Mandela's spirit of reconciliation. It's unclear whether more will come of the gesture, as efforts by the Obama administration to thaw relations between Cuba and the U.S. have been slow-going.
The U.S. government in 2011 eased the embargo on the island by allowing some Americans to travel there. But the U.S. freeze on Cuba, dating back to when Fidel Castro took power, largely has remained in place - and Cuba's human rights record, particularly its intolerance of political dissent, continues to draw the scorn of rights groups and western governments.
President Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro at Tuesday's memorial service for Nelson Mandela, in a brief but rare gesture between the leaders of the two rival nations.
The handshake could rile Cuban-American lawmakers and activists whose distrust of the Castro government runs deep.
But the encounter may have been spontaneous, unlike the historic phone call earlier this year between Obama and Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani.
Obama shook Castro's hand as he made his way down a line of dignitaries, including South African President Jacob Zuma and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, on his way to deliver an address honoring the late South African leader.
In the speech in Johannesburg, Obama praised Mandela as the "last great liberator of the 20th century."
"He changed laws, but he also changed hearts," Obama said.
The handshake came amid a memorial service that lauded Mandela's spirit of reconciliation. It's unclear whether more will come of the gesture, as efforts by the Obama administration to thaw relations between Cuba and the U.S. have been slow-going.
The U.S. government in 2011 eased the embargo on the island by allowing some Americans to travel there. But the U.S. freeze on Cuba, dating back to when Fidel Castro took power, largely has remained in place - and Cuba's human rights record, particularly its intolerance of political dissent, continues to draw the scorn of rights groups and western governments.