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Obama, Summit Leaders Split on Cuba

President frowns at idea of including Cuba again.

President Obama faced a tough crowd at the Summit of the Americas in Colombia this weekend as the region’s leaders expressed their opposition to the tough restrictions the U.S. imposes on communist Cuba. Cuba’s exclusion from the summit was criticized by countries like Mexico, Colombia, and others who say they should be included. The communist country was ejected from the Organization of American States shortly after Fidel Castro’s revolution in 1959. Obama rejected the idea of including the Cuban leadership, telling a news conference: “I and the American people will welcome a time when the Cuban people have the freedom to live their lives, choose their leaders, and fully participate in this global economy and international institutions. We haven’t gotten there yet.”