U.S President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro shared an awkward limp-wristed celebration to the end of a press conference in which Castro refused to take a question and instead asked his own.
MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell had asked both Obama and Castro a question about their vision for the future of their two respective countries considering their different views on human rights. After Obama answered the question, he turned to Castro and said, “I think Andrea had a question for you about your vision. It’s up to you. He did say he was only going to take one question and I was going to take two, but I leave it up to you if you want to address that question. Andrea is one of our most esteemed journalists in America, and I’m sure she would appreciate just a short, brief answer.”
Castro started his answer by saying, “I know that if I stay here you’ll make 500 questions.” He continued on to say, “I’ll answer one and a half…now I’m going to make a question to you.”
The Cuban president then continued to say that internationally there are 61 instruments of human rights recognized. He asked, “How many countries comply with them all?” He answered his own question, “Do you know how many? I do. None.”
He said Cuba follows 47 of these human rights “instruments.”
Castro finished the press conference by saying, “It’s not correct to ask me about political prisoners in general. Please give me the name of a political prisoner.”
The two then greeted and he raised Obama’s limp arm.