Panama City, April 12
The 7th Summit of the Americas in Panama has ended with a historic renewal of hemispheric relations despite continued criticism of US \"interventionism\" in the region.

The presence of Cuban President Raul Castro, who received an ovation before delivering an address that lasted slightly more than 40 minutes, and his meeting later with US President Barack Obama were undoubtedly the highlights of the summit which ended on Saturday.

Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela officially closed the summit, Spanish news agency Efe reported.

\"This has been a historic summit... I am sure it will mark the start of a new era based on respectful dialogue and cooperation in our region,\" the Panamanian leader said.

As the host country, Panama tried to promote \"frank and respectful dialogue\" among the leaders of the Americas, Varela said.

The 35 countries represented at the summit reached \"agreement on 90 percent of the mandates proposed\", the Panamanian leader said.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday confirmed that he met with Obama and \"the possibility exists of moving to a process of talks\".

The nearly 10-minute meeting with Obama was \"serious\" and \"frank\", Maduro told Telesur, adding that the two leaders spoke \"the truth\" in a \"cordial\" manner.

\"I told him we\'re not the enemies of the United States, that we are revolutionaries, passionate, and that we want to build peace,\" Maduro said.

Maduro did not reveal much more about his conversation with Obama, but he said \"the possibility could open up in the next few days of moving to a process of conversations with the United States and of opening respectful relations\".

The leaders attending the summit on Saturday rejected the executive actions taken by the US toward Venezuela.

In address, Castro recounted the history of US \"imperialist aggression\" in Latin America, although he absolved Obama of responsibility for past actions by Washington.

Castro, whose country was invited to the gathering for the first time this year, received an ovation when he began his speech by saying the \"time had come for me to speak here\" on Communist-ruled Cuba\'s behalf.

He referred to the US\'s \"wars, conquests and interventions\" in the region, saying through an interpreter that the country has been a \"hegemonic force that plundered territories throughout the Americas\".

\"The passion comes out of my pores when the revolution is involved, but I want to apologise to President Obama because he doesn\'t have anything to do with all of that,\" Castro said, eliciting another round of applause.

\"All (of the previous US presidents) are indebted to us, but not President Obama,\" who is an \"honest man... with a manner about him that speaks to his humble origins\", the Cuban leader said.

Last December, Obama and Castro simultaneously announced plans to work to restore full diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba.

Washington severed diplomatic ties with Havana in 1961 and has maintained an economic embargo against the Communist-ruled island since late 1962.

Since December\'s announcement, senior diplomats from both countries have met several times to discuss the re-opening of embassies and the Obama administration has taken limited steps to ease the economic embargo Washington imposed on Cuba in 1962.

Summit ends with Americas open to differences