Obama, Raul Castro shake hands at Mandela memorial

Zee Media Bureau

Johannesburg: The memorial service of former South African President and anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela on Tuesday was the most apt place for the leaders of the two estranged countries – US President Barack Obama and Cuba’s Raul Castro – to keep aside their differences and briefly shake hands. The historic handshake took place at the memorial ceremony of Mandela that’s focused on Mandela’s legacy of reconciliation. Obama shook Castro’s hands while he was making his way to the podium to deliver his speech. This is reportedly the first handshake in the past decade which is an indication that both the countries could be working towards improving their relations. However, attempts to thaw the relations between the two countries have not proved to be successful for long.