CRI听力:No Quick Change Expected from Obama's Visit

It was a moment of history, decades in the making.

The President of the United States on Cuban soil and the US national anthem ringing out across Revolutionary Square.

This is the very location where Fidel Castro used to denounce American imperialism in front of huge crowds.

But this has been a trip of firsts and that continued as President Obama laid a wreath at a memorial dedicated to revolutionary hero Jose Marti.

From there it was on to what many consider the main event.

The meeting of the two leaders who addressed some of the pressing issues facing the reconciliation and then answered difficult questions from the amassed media.

President Castro "It is not correct to ask me about political prisoners. Tell me the name of just one political prisoner?"

President Obama "I've said consistently, after more than five very difficult decades, the relationship between our governments will not be transformed overnight.
We continue as President (Raul) Castro indicated with some very serious differences -including on democracy and human rights - and President Castro and I have had very frank and candid conversations on these subjects."

But words and promises are one thing - for Cubans on the streets of Havana, they want action and the possibilities that brings.

Lougis Rul is a taxi driver and has lived here all his life.

"I hope he will help the labour force, more business so anyone who wants to open a business in Cuban can actually do it without any problems. I hope that we can change in all those sorts of things. I hope that the Cuban government will help the country to prosper to get out of the hole that we are in now."

There may only be 90 miles of ocean between these 2 countries, but they are still worlds apart on some issues.

Nobody is expecting quick solutions, but the very fact that a US President is here in Cuba is proof that things have come a long way since the Cold War.

John Bevir from Havana.