UNITED NATIONS – Cuban dictator Fidel Castro had a close encounter with President Clinton at a U.N. luncheon. The White House insists "there was no handshake," but others say there was.
Castro approached Clinton at the end of a luncheon Wednesday for 160 heads of state. There was "a momentary exchange" between the two leaders at the luncheon, said P.J. Crowley, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council.
Aw, No Handshake? Was There a Hug?
White House press secretary Joe Lockhart later said, "There was no handshake."
However, the London Times reported today: "It's all the buzz," said one U.N. official. "As they went from lunch to the photo there was a choke point, and Castro and Clinton moved gradually together, and they shook hands and exchanged a few words."
When asked to comment on the episode at the regular press briefing Thursday, U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard referred all questions to "the U.S. and Cuban missions."
