MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Obama and Castro agree to disagree, but determined to advance in “a new day”

“This is a new day,” Obama said, standing alongside Castro after their meeting at Havana's Palace of the Revolution.

Cuban President Raul Castro directly challenged President Obama on the heels of their historic meeting in Havana on Monday to lift more restrictions on the island and return land used for the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay – as the visiting U.S. president, in turn, chided the Cuban government on democracy and human rights

 The remarks, by turns tense and cordial, came during a joint press conference with the two leaders in Havana. The comments reflected the lingering and deep divides between the two countries, even as Obama tries to use his historic visit to forge renewed ties with Cuba after a decades-long freeze.

“This is a new day,” Obama said, standing alongside Castro after their meeting at Havana's Palace of the Revolution.

In his opening remarks, Castro praised Obama's recent steps to relax controls on Cuba as “positive.” But he also deemed them insufficient, calling anew for the U.S. to return its naval base at Guantanamo Bay to Cuba and to lift the U.S. trade embargo.

“That is essential, because the blockade remains in place, and it contains discouraging elements,” Castro said.

Castro, under questioning, also was defiant on the issue of political prisoners. Asked about them by a US reporter, Castro told the reporter to provide a list of those prisoners and he’d release them by the end of the night. He added later, “It's not correct to ask me about political prisoners in general.”

After responding to a handful of questions, Castro ended the news conference abruptly, declaring, “I think this is enough.”

The White House previously has said it has no plans to return the Guantanamo land, though Obama wants to shutter the detention camp there. Asked about Castro’s demand, Defense Secretary Ash Carter reiterated the U.S. position on Monday.

“It's a strategic location, we've had it for a long time, it's important to us and we intend to hold onto it,” he said.

As for the embargo, Obama noted the embargo has not at this stage been repealed by Congress but said it will eventually end.

Obama, in his remarks, also thanked Castro for a “spirit of openness”

He said they had a “frank and candid” conversation on human rights and other topics. While saying “Cuba is sovereign,” he added: “At the same time, as we do wherever we go around the world, I made it clear that the United States will continue to speak up on behalf of democracy … we’ll speak out on behalf of universal human rights.”

Earlier Monday, Obama and Castro sat down at the Palace of the Revolution after shaking hands and greeting each other during a brief ceremony, which included the playing of both the U.S. and Cuban national anthems.