PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- Caribbean leaders spent Friday morning and early afternoon huddled behind closed doors to discuss a variety of issues they hope to address with President Barack Obama following his late-afternoon arrival here.

Among the closed-door chatter: the official position member nations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will take on Cuba-U.S. relations.

Some Caribbean leaders have said the decades-old adversarial relationship between Havana and Washington can be repaired and are willing to mediate, but at least one warned Friday that supporters should not try to pressure Obama on the matter.

``I believe this matter has to be treated very very sensitively, Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding told The Miami Herald. ``The U.S. has signaled some important steps forward. What would seriously damage the process is if we attempt to corner President Obama on this issue, because it's not an issue without it's very strident opponents in the United States.

''What is important is that we facilitate the process and not do anything to cause the process to become polarized,'' Golding said.

Other leaders, including those from Dominica, St. Vincent & The Grenadines and Antigua and Barbuda, said it's time for Cuba and the United States to have a serious diplomatic discussion.

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