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The Fifth Summit of the Americas, attended by 34 countries from the American continent, closed in Trinidad and Tobago last Sunday. The summit was not attended by Cuba although it was one of the leading players at the summit along with the United States.

Effectively hanging over the summit was the topic of Cuban-US relations which have been strained for many decades, notably since the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro in 1959. Three years later in 1962, the United States imposed an economic embargo on Cuba that is still in force today.

However, the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States has led to hopes of an improvement in relations between the two countries. Less than ten days ago the US president announced a decision to allow US citizens with family members in Cuba unrestricted travel to the country, and to send any amounts of money they wish there as well. Until recently, it was only possible for US citizens to visit Cuba once every 18 months with the trip being restricted to two weeks.

These conciliatory measures were confirmed during the summit, where Obama revealed a willingness to improve relations with countries in Latin America, including Cuba and Venezuela (the Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez was a fierce critic of former US president George Bush).

However, this does not mean that the economic embargo against Cuba is about to come to a sudden end. Obama referred to the need for changes in Cuba, with regard to freeing prisoners, freedom of expression and democracy. In this respect, comments made a few days ago by Raúl Castro where he declared he is willing to discuss any topic are seen as a good sign. Raúl Castro took over the presidency last year from his brother, Fidel Castro, who is in poor health.