MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Fidel meets Cristina and agree Obama is “a sincere person”

Fidel received CFK for half an hour

Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner held a half hour private meeting with Fidel Castro in the last day of her visit to Cuba and said the ageing revolutionary leader described US president Barack Obama as “a sincere person”.

The unexpected meeting of Mrs. Kirchner with Fidel took place before the Argentine delegation left on late Wednesday for Venezuela ending a three day visit to Cuba, the first of an Argentine president in 23 years. "I consider the meeting with Fidel as a special distinction to the Argentine people. He loves profoundly Argentina and the Argentines. It was a very special day and a very special way of ending our stay in Cuba" said Mrs. Kirchner quoted by the Argentine news agency Telam. Contrary to insistent rumours about the health of Fidel Castro, Mrs. Kirchner said she found him "looking very well" and "we talked openly about all issues, it was a real honour" The half hour encounter, which did not figure in the official agenda, was sandwiched between a morning visit to the Latinamerican Medical School, accompanied by President Raul Castro, and an afternoon meeting at the Argentine embassy in Havana. "I'm sure that they will excuse me for arriving late to the embassy, but I spent time with Fidel", said Mrs. Kirchner apologizing for arriving late to the embassy. The Argentine president has a growing international reputation of unpunctuality. "He looked very well. We talked with Comandante Fidel about my visit to Cuba and shared opinions on the international situation. Obviously the first issue was the inauguration of President Obama in the United States", said Mrs. Kirchner. "Fidel followed closely the taking office ceremony of Obama and with his special style of talking, with passion and conviction said that the US president seems a sincere person". "He told me that Obama has good ideas, but let's hope he can accomplish them", said the Argentine president who added that somehow "Fidel's words confirmed what I think about Obama and the sincerity of his ideas". "Fidel is convinced Obama sincerely believes what's he is saying and doing", she underlined. Mrs. Kirchner revealed that Fidel had sent her a letter praising her Tuesday speech at the Havana University where she asked for an end to the US trade embargo on Cuba. The Argentine president said that Fidel was dressed with a jogging suit and also talked about climate warming "one of his main concerns" because "as we all know" the Cuban leader has always shown great interest in scientific research. However no mention was made of two irritating issues in the bilateral relation, first the case of neurologist Hilda Molina a Cuban human rights activist which has repeatedly, for fifteen years, been denied a visa to visit her son and now grandchildren living in Argentina. The second issue is Cuba's debt with Argentina, currently estimated in2.4 billion US dollars, dating back to the seventies, and which a succession of Argentine governments have been unable to reach an agreement on payments or how to reduce it. The last attempt was in 2004/05, with President Nestor Kirchner when Cubans proposed a cut of 75% and the rest in medicine and medical attention for Argentine patients in Cuba, with Argentina paying for air fares. At that time Argentina was trying to convince holders of defaulted sovereign bonds to accept a similar face value reduction and long term interest payments.