UN chief praises US-Cuba warming relations

The United Nations chief on Friday praised US president Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro for moving to restore diplomatic relations after decades of hostility between the two Cold War foes.  U.N. Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon was present at the Summit of the Americas ‎in Panama City Friday evening,  in the sidelines of which the US and Cuban leaders shook hands before him. Ban said the region is “overcoming longstanding divisions in historic ways, as we see in this very room.”  He noted that it was the first time all 35 nations of the Americas were attending the summit. Cuba was excluded for years, and Ban said Raul Castro's presence on Friday evening fulfilled wish felt across the region.  Ban said that it's a move in line with the United Nations Charter and its ``goal of promoting good neighborliness.''  The handshake and photos between Obama and Castro were symbolically charged gestures of the two Cold War foes seeking to restore diplomatic ties.

Pope Francis and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin played a role in brokering secret talks between Cuba and the United States that ‎led President Barack Obama in December to announce that he was opening negotiations on restoring ‎ties with the communist island.  Host Panama invited the Vatican to participate in the Summit of the Americas for the first time in the meeting's 21-year history.  In a message to the summit read by Cardinal Parolin, the Pope urged Latin American leaders to seek common ground to solve problems afflicting the region.