Paulo Sotero, director of the Brazil Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, said Obama's willingness to accept a compromise to allow Cuba back into the Organization of American States in June had shown a major difference in style and substance from the previous administration.

"I believe the approach of Obama is that the U.S. has to be in a listening position and in many instances in a learning position from the most successful democracies in the region," he said.

"In that sense we have room for positive development."

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