Washington: A surprise handshake between US President Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro at Nelson Mandela's memorial ceremony in Johannesburg has stirred a major controversy at home and speculation about its deeper meaning.
Obama shook Castro's hand Tuesday as he walked down the line greeting other leaders, including Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, gathered there to pay their respects to South Africa's first black president who died Thursday.
Later a White House official told reporters that the moment was not "a pre-planned encounter", and the two exchanged nothing more substantive than a greeting.
"Above all else, today is about honouring Nelson Mandela, and that was the president's singular focus at the memorial service. We appreciate that people from all over the world are participating in this ceremony," Obama aide Ben Rhodes said.
The US president also greeted Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who has filed a formal protest with the US and rebuked the National Security Agency for its eavesdropping on world leaders.
Obama is not the first US President to shake hands with a Cuban leader. In September 2000, then-President Bill Clinton and Fidel Castro shook hands at the UN in what Secretary of State Madeleine Albright called a "chance encounter".
"Though undoubtedly a polite gesture meant to honour Mandela's legacy, the handshake also comes not long after Obama indicated a desire to update US policies toward Cuba," noted influential Washington political news portal Politico.
