Cuban President Raúl Castro lifts up the arm of President Barack Obama at the conclusion of their March 21 joint news conference at the Palace of the Revolution in Havana, Cuba. | AP Photo Castro and Obama agree to disagree on human rights, freedom 'There are profound differences between our countries that will not go away,' Castro says.

For the first time in nearly nine decades, the leaders of Cuba and the United States stood shoulder to shoulder in Havana on Monday. Although the nations are separated by just 90 miles, major political and economic obstacles remain, and President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro hoped to bridge them. But after an hour of statements and a contentious question-and-answer session in which Castro claimed his country holds no political prisoners, they didn't quite get there.

Instead, Castro opened a joint news conference with Obama with a laundry list of why his country and the United States would never see eye to eye. And he ended it with complaints about taking one more question than was previously agreed.


Castro spoke before Obama for roughly 15 minutes, detailing the technocratic fruits of thawed diplomacy, namely the restoration of postal service and travel between the two countries, and urging the removal of the decades-old trade embargo between the two countries.

"This cooperation is beneficial not only for Cuba and the United States but also for our hemisphere at large," Castro said, referring also to cooperation in dealing with the spread of Zika virus in the region.

The Cuban president touted his country's progress on communications and medication, remarking that "much more could be done if the U.S. blockade were lifted." The steps forward to remove restrictions are "positive, but insufficient," Castro said.

"The blockade stands as the most important obstacle to our economic development and the well-being of the Cuban people. That's why its removal will be of the essence," he said.

Castro also urged the return of "illegally occupied" Guantanamo Bay, later taking shots at the United States' "political manipulation and double standards" with respect to human rights, as well as its lack of universal health care and other social programs for its citizens.

"There are profound differences between our countries that will not go away," Castro said, noting a litany of differences between the two countries on democracy, human rights, global stability and other issues. He also mentioned the 2013 journey of American swimmer Diana Nyad, who became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage as a metaphor for normalizing relations.

Castro concluded his opening remarks, and Obama began by proclaiming it a "nuevo dia" for both countries. He also deviated briefly to pay tribute to Marine Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin of Temecula, California, who was killed in action last week while fighting in Iraq.

“I bring with me the greetings and the friendship of the American people,” Obama said, pointing to the largest congressional delegation in his presidency, remarking that the delegation realized that renewed relations are in the “interest of both nations.”

Obama also mentioned his gratitude at being joined by Cuban Americans, calling the visit, for them, "a time of new hope for the future" as well as one "filled with great emotion."

"I'm actually going to go a little longer than you today, with your indulgence. We have a half-century of work to catch up on," Obama said.

“Cuba is sovereign and rightly has great pride, and the future of Cuba will be decided by Cubans, not by anybody else," Obama said. But he vowed to do “as we do wherever we go around the world" and "speak out on behalf of universal human rights, including freedom of speech and assembly and religion."

Obama said he looked forward to "hearing from Cuban civil society leaders tomorrow."

"But as you heard, President Castro has also addressed what he views as shortcomings in the United States," he said, "and we welcome that constructive dialogue as well. Because we believe that when we share our deepest beliefs and ideas with an attitude of mutual respect, that we can both learn and make the lives of our people better."

Before a question-and-answer session, Obama wrapped his remarks by referring back to Castro's invocation of Nyad's journey, which "as you indicated, the road ahead will not be easy … fortunately, we don’t have to swim with sharks."

"If we stay on this course, we can deliver a brighter future for both the Cuban people and the American people," Obama said.

During the Q & A session, Castro visibly bristled when asked about political prisoners in Cuba, telling an American reporter that he would release all the political prisoners by the end of the day if provided "a list" of them.

For his part, Obama reiterated his "faith in people" in justifying the reopening of relations.

“The embargo’s gonna end. When, I can’t be entirely sure, but I believe it will end and the path we are on will continue beyond my administration," Obama said. "The reason is logic.”

When NBC News correspondent Andrea Mitchell tried to ask a second question of Castro, which apparently he had not agreed to, Obama left it up to the president. "Por favor," Mitchell said.

“She’s one of our most esteemed journalists in America, and I’m sure she’d appreciate just a short, brief answer," Obama said. Castro relented, and he responded to Mitchell's questions about human rights in the country.

"President Obama has already helped me out with the answer here, Andrea," Castro said, going on to tout his country's compliance with human rights relative to the rest of the world. "I think human rights issues should not be politicized. That is not correct. If that is the purpose, then we will stay the same way," he said.

But Castro still was not done chastising Mitchell and the other journalists present for asking him about political prisoners.

"It's not right to ask me about political prisoners in general," Castro said. "Please give me the name of the political prisoner, and with this, I think this is enough."

