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April 10, 2015

Obama Arrives in Panama for Summit of the Americas 
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President Obama has arrived in Panama to attend the Summit of the
Americas along with other leaders from Canada, Central America, South
America, the Caribbean — and for the first time, Cuba. Obama and
Cuban President Raúl Castro are reportedly due to meet informally at
the summit, marking the first time presidents from the two countries
have sat down since 1956. Meanwhile, on Thursday Obama announced the
State Department has finished its review of whether Cuba should be
removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, but said he would
wait to act until receiving final recommendations of White House
advisers.

President Obama: "As you know, there is a process involved in reviewing
whether or not a country should be on the State Sponsor of Terrorism
list. That review has been completed at the State Department; it is now
forwarded to the White House. Our inter-agency team will go through the
entire thing and then present it to me with a recommendation. That
hasn't happened yet."

Fights broke out ahead of the Summit of the Americas Wednesday when
anti-Castro Cuban demonstrators tried to lay flowers at a bust of Cuban
patriarch José Martí near the Cuban Embassy in Panama City and were
confronted by a group of pro-Castro activists. Cuban delegates also
protested over reports that former CIA-backed paramilitary officer
Félix Rodríguez, who was sent to kill Che Guevara in Bolivia in 1967,
was meeting with opposition groups in Panama City. We will have more on
the summit after headlines.