US-Cuba relations: Global praise for normalisation of ties
World leaders have welcomed a historic move by the US to end more than 50 years of hostility towards Cuba and restore diplomatic relations.
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Pope Francis joined leaders from Latin America and Europe in praising the "historic" deal which saw the release of prisoners from both countries.
But dozens of dissident Cubans oppose the move, which some Republicans have labelled a "retreat" by the US.
President Obama said the "rigid and outdated policy" of isolating Cuba since then had clearly failed and that it was time for a new approach.
Mr Castro, meanwhile, has urged the US to ends its trade embargo, which has been in place since the Cuba turned to Communism more than 50 years ago.
The Cuban government blames the US embargo for economic hardship on the island
But power to lift the embargo, which Mr Castro says has caused "enormous human and economic damage", lies with the US Congress, and correspondents say many Republicans are still deeply opposed to this.
'Beginning of the end'
Leading the praise, Pope Francis sent "warm congratulations" to Mr Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro for overcoming "the difficulties which have marked their recent history".
The announcement followed more than a year of secret talks in Canada and at the Vatican, directly involving the pontiff.
The European Union, which is in the process of normalising ties with Cuba, described the move as a "historical turning point", while leaders meeting at a Latin America summit in Argentina broke into applause at the news.
Alan Gross celebrates onboard a government plane headed back to the US with his wife, Judy Gross in this 17 December 2014 White House handout photo
Cuban President Raul Castro (L) embraces Gerardo Hernandez after he and two other Cuban intelligence agents arrived in Havana in this 17 December 2014
Chilean Foreign Minister Heraldo Munoz hailed it as "the beginning of the end of the Cold War in the Americas".
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose predecessor Hugo Chavez was a close ally of Fidel Castro, said it was a "moral victory" and "victory for Fidel".
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said increased US engagement in Cuba in the future should "encourage real and lasting reforms for the Cuban people".
"And the other nations of the Americas should join us in this effort," she added.
US President Barack Obama's re-election in 2012 and garnering of a sizable number of Cuban voters in Florida helped push the lifting of historic restrictions against Cuba.
It also increased the momentum to free US aid worker Alan Gross, following five years in a Cuban prison.
The added negotiations for the release of three Cubans in exchange for one US intelligence operative were the "most delicate", involving the highest levels of both governments, including Mr Obama and Cuba's Raul Castro.
But, as both countries now move towards regulatory efforts to liberalise trade and travel among them, negotiations will shift to lower level agencies.
Mr Obama's aim in using his executive authority to open up decades-long boundaries with Cuba is in "laying scaffolding" for longer-term political gains.
As more Americans travel to and trade with Cuba, pressure on Congress will mount to fully nullify the legally codified embargo. But I think we're a while away from that.
The Canadian prime minister, Stephen Harper, whose country never broke off ties with Cuba, welcomed what he called the "overdue development".
But the move was not applauded by everyone, with dozens of Cubans living in exile in the US state of Florida protesting after the announcement on Wednesday.
"It is a betrayal. The talks are only going to benefit Cuba," Carlos Munoz Fontanil said at a protest in Miami's Calle Ocho.
Meanwhile, Republican Senator Marco Rubio slammed the deal as "inexplicable", adding that it did nothing to address the issues of Cuba's political system and human rights record.
