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| Caribbean presses Obama on Cuba | Caribbean presses Obama on Cuba |
| (about 6 hours later) | |
| The leaders of 14 Caribbean nations have called on US President-elect Barack Obama to lift the decades-old American trade embargo against Cuba. | |
| The call came during a one-day summit between Cuba and the Caribbean regional trade bloc, known as Caricom. | The call came during a one-day summit between Cuba and the Caribbean regional trade bloc, known as Caricom. |
| Current Caricom president, Antigua's Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, said he hoped the US embargo would finally be "relegated to history." | Current Caricom president, Antigua's Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, said he hoped the US embargo would finally be "relegated to history." |
| The Caribbean leaders were meeting to discuss the current economic crisis. | The Caribbean leaders were meeting to discuss the current economic crisis. |
| "As we gather today in Cuba, the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America is still in place," Mr Spencer told the gathering in Santiago de Cuba. | "As we gather today in Cuba, the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America is still in place," Mr Spencer told the gathering in Santiago de Cuba. |
| "The Caribbean community hopes that the transformational change which is underway in the United States will finally relegate that measure to history." | "The Caribbean community hopes that the transformational change which is underway in the United States will finally relegate that measure to history." |
| Caricom chose to hold the summit in Cuba, even though the communist state is not a member of the Caribbean trade bloc. | Caricom chose to hold the summit in Cuba, even though the communist state is not a member of the Caribbean trade bloc. |
| The fact that so many Caricom heads of state attended indicates that Caribbean co-operation is increasingly crossing political boundaries, as everyone struggles to cope in the harsh economic times, the BBC's Michael Voss says from Santiago. | The fact that so many Caricom heads of state attended indicates that Caribbean co-operation is increasingly crossing political boundaries, as everyone struggles to cope in the harsh economic times, the BBC's Michael Voss says from Santiago. |
| Mr Spencer also called upon the United Nations to do more to help small countries cope. | Mr Spencer also called upon the United Nations to do more to help small countries cope. |
| In his opening speech, Cuba's President Raul Castro said that it was the world's poor who would bear the brunt of what he described as a reckless disaster caused by speculation, individualism and greed. | In his opening speech, Cuba's President Raul Castro said that it was the world's poor who would bear the brunt of what he described as a reckless disaster caused by speculation, individualism and greed. |
| Cuba has survived more than four decades of US sanctions targeting the regime led by Fidel Castro and, since February, by his brother Raul. | Cuba has survived more than four decades of US sanctions targeting the regime led by Fidel Castro and, since February, by his brother Raul. |
| Mr Obama has said that he would lift restrictions on family travel and remittances to Cuba, but maintain the US trade embargo to press for changes in the Communist-run country. | Mr Obama has said that he would lift restrictions on family travel and remittances to Cuba, but maintain the US trade embargo to press for changes in the Communist-run country. |