ລັດຖະມົນຕີຕ່າງປະເທດສະຫະລັດ ທ່ານ John Kerry ໄດ້ພົບ
ປະກັບຄູ່ຕຳແໜ່ງຝ່າຍຄິວບານຶ່ງມື້ກ່ອນກອງປະຊຸມສຸດຍອດຂົງ
ເຂດຊຶ່ງເປັນການພົບປະລະດັບສູງໃນຮອບຫຼາຍສິບປີລະຫວ່າງ
ລັດຖະບານຂອງສອງປະເທດ.
ເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ຂັ້ນສູງກະຊວງຕ່າງປະເທດສະຫະລັດຄົນນຶ່ງກ່າວວ່າ
ການເຈລະຈາ ໃນຕອນແລງຂອງວັນພະຫັດວານນີ້ ລະຫວ່າງ
ທ່ານ Kerry ກັບລັດຖະມົນຕີ ຕ່າງປະເທດຄິວບາ ທ່ານ Bruno
Rodriguez ໄດ້ດຳເນີນໄປ “ໃນທາງທີ່ສ້າງ ສັນຫຼາຍ” ແລະ
ກ່າວຕື່ມວ່າ ທັງສອງຝ່າຍ “ເຫັນດີນຳກັນວ່າ ພວກທ່ານໄດ້ທຳ
ຄວາມຄືບໜ້າ.”
ເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ບໍ່ໄດ້ໃຫ້ຄວາມກະຈ່າງແຈ້ງວ່າ ແມ່ນຄວາມກ້າວໜ້າໃນດ້ານໃດແທ້ ແຕ່ກໍກ່າວ
ເນັ້ນວ່າ ທັງສອງຝ່າຍຈະ “ສືບຕໍ່ເຮັດວຽກເພື່ອແກ້ໄຂບັນຫາຕ່າງໆ ທີ່ຍັງຄ້າງຄາຢູ່ນັ້ນ.”
ກະຊວງຕ່າງປະເທດສະຫະລັດ ໄດ້ພິມເຜີຍແຜ່ທາງຕາໜ່າງສື່ສັງຄົມ Twitter ຮູບຂອງ
ທ່ານ Kerry ສຳພັດມືກັບທ່ານ Rodriquez ພ້ອມດ້ວຍນັກການທູດຂັ້ນສູງທັງສອງທ່ານ
ພາກັນຫົວຍີ້ມອອກມານ້ອຍນຶ່ງ. ພວກທ່ານແມ່ນເຂົ້າຮ່ວມກອງປະຊຸມສຸດຍອດຂອງບັນ
ດາປະເທດໃນທະວີບອາເມຣິກາ ທີ່ຈະເລີ້ມໃນວັນສຸກມື້ນີ້ ທີ່ນະຄອນ Panama City.
ເຂົ້າຮວມປະຊຸມສຸດຍອດຄັ້ງນີ້ມີ ປະທານາທິບໍດີ ສະຫະລັດ ທ່ານ Barack Obama ຜູ້
ທີ່ອາດຈະພົບຢ່າງບໍ່ເປັນພິທີ່ກັບ ປະທານາທິບໍດີ ຄິວບາ ທ່ານ Raul Castro ຢູ່ບ່ອນ
ເຕົ້າໂຮມນອກກອງປະຊຸມ ອ້າງອີງຕາມບັນດາເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ ລັດຖະບານ ທ່ານ Obama.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with his Cuban counterpart on the eve of a regional summit in Panama, in what is the highest-level meeting in decades between the two governments.
A senior State Department official said Kerry's late Thursday talk with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez was "very constructive," adding both sides "agreed they made progress."
The official did not clarify what progress had been made, but did stress that both sides would "continue to work to resolve outstanding issues."
The State Department tweeted a picture of Kerry shaking hands with Rodriguez, with both senior diplomats smiling slightly. Both are attending the Summit of the Americas, which begins Friday in Panama City.
Also attending the summit is U.S. President Barack Obama, who could meet Cuban President Raul Castro on the sidelines of the gathering, according to Obama administration officials.
VOA White House correspondent Luis Ramirez, who is traveling with the president, says no formal meeting is scheduled. But he says White House officials have suggested there will be an opportunity for interaction between the two leaders.
"This will be a historic moment because although the two leaders have met before, we've all seen footage in South Africa a couple years ago, this meeting will be the first since President Obama in December announced his intention to normalize relations with Cuba after all these decades," says Ramirez.
Mr. Obama, who in December announced a new opening in relations with Cuba, said Thursday he will make a decision soon about whether to remove the communist country from a list of countries the U.S. considers to be state sponsors of terrorism.
On a visit to Jamaica, Mr. Obama said a State Department review of Cuban actions in world affairs is now complete and he is awaiting the actual recommendation from his aides.
There are indications that Cuba will be removed from the list, according to Ramirez, who notes Mr. Obama recently said there has been no recent evidence of Cuba supporting global terrorism.
Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Senate's Foreign Relations panel, confirmed the agency has recommended removing Cuba from the list. "The United States has a unique opportunity to begin a fresh chapter with Cuba,'' he said.
The American leader has long signaled he is willing to remove the island nation from the list, as part of the normalization in diplomatic relations. Three other countries are on the U.S. list, accused of repeatedly supporting global terrorism: Syria, Iran and Sudan.
Mr. Obama arrived in Panama late Thursday for the Summit of the Americas.His decision on Cuba is expected to be announced later this week.
"Throughout this process, our emphasis has been on the facts," Mr. Obama said. "So, we want to make sure that given that this is a powerful tool to isolate those countries that genuinely do support terrorism, that when we make those designations, we've got strong evidence that in fact that's the case and as circumstances change, then that list will change as well."