Panama City, Apr 11 : US President Barack Obama and Cuba’s Raul Castro stood near each other at a Summit of the Americas, marking a major milestone in their efforts to end decades of animosity.

Obama and Castro, separated by the presidents of Ecuador and El Salvador, stood in the second of three rows at a Panama City convention center yesterday as the country’s national anthem was sung.

The sight of Obama and Castro in the same room instantly became a potent symbol of their bid to renew diplomatic ties that were severed in 1961. It was the first time that a Cuban leader attended the summit in its 21-year history.

Both smiling broadly, Obama and Castro had arrived separately for the two-day summit’s inauguration.

The 30-odd leaders were then heading to a seaside dinner in a complex of ruins dating from the era of the Spanish conquistadors.

Obama and Castro met once before, when they already shook hands at Nelson Mandela’s funeral in December 2013. But US officials said the widely-anticipated discussion would take place today. (AFP)