Several leftist countries, led by Venezuela, refused to sign it because it excluded Cuba and did not adequately address the global economic crisis. Others followed suit, because it was not a unanimous document.

''It would have been much better if all the presidents had signed the final declaration,'' said Edwin Carrington, secretary general of the regional economic bloc Caricom. ``It shows commitment.''

CALLED A SUCCESS

Experts said the summit was a success nonetheless, particularly for Obama. He entered the hemispheric stage Friday under a barrage of tirades about Washington's dubious history in Latin American politics.

Although heavy on symbolism and lighter on concrete results, Obama came out ahead by illustrating that he was willing to listen and be polite to his adversaries, experts said.

''Obama's realism stands out. He is willing to recognize that Cuba wants to talk, and that talks might be worth pursuing,'' said longtime Cuba-watcher Philip Peters, vice president of the Lexington Institute in Virginia. ``He's pointing to a step Cuba could take to get the ball rolling.''

Lowering remittance fees would be easy for Cuba, Peters said, because that exchange-rate policy began as retaliation for former President George W. Bush's decision to limit how much money Cuban Americans could send their relatives.

''The summit had a lot of symbolism, but symbolism that sends a positive message: U.S. national security interests are better met, not with confrontation, but with action,'' said Florida International University's Eduardo Gamarra, who followed the summit closely as a political consultant for Dominican President Leonel Fernández. ``Obama played this very well.''

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