US President Barack Obama Shake Hands With Cuban President Raul Castro Tuesday Dec 10,2013

US President Barack Obama's cordial handshake with Cuban leader Raul Castro at Nelson Mandela's memorial service in South Africa on Tuesday Dec 10,2013

The gesture which comes despite half a century of hostilites came as Barack Obama made his way to deliver speech

It is only the 2nd time that a US president has shaken the hands of a Cubanmun Comist leader. President Bill Clinton was the first to do so in 2000 fter a lunch during a United Nations summit in New York, when he shook hands with Fidel Castro

Note
Under diplomatic protocols established, Cuba's president and Washington's representatives are rarely invited to the same events. If they do, the meeting is choreographed so that they are not likely to meet face to face