Rediff.com » News
Obama shakes Raul Castro's hand at Mandela service
December 10, 2013
President Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro at Tuesday's memorial service for Nelson Mandela, in a brief but rare gesture between the leaders of the two rival nations.
The handshake could rile Cuban-American lawmakers and activists whose distrust of the Castro government runs deep.
But the encounter may have been spontaneous, unlike the historic phone call earlier this year between Obama and Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani.