BARACK OBAMA - U.S. PRESIDENT DODGES ENDORSEMENT OF JUANES' CUBAN CONCERT

U.S. PRESIDENT DODGES ENDORSEMENT OF JUANES' CUBAN CONCERT

U.S. President BARACK OBAMA has refused to endorse Colombian singer JUANES' politically controversial concert in Havana, Cuba.
Cuban exiles took aim at the star over his Paz Sin Fronteras (Peace Without Borders) concert, which took place on Sunday (20Sep09) and featured 14 other acts from around the world.
Militants claimed the event showed support for the Fidel Castro regime and threatened to kill Juanes if he took the stage at the Jose Marti Revolution Plaza concert.
The defiant star was adamant the event had nothing to do with politics, while President Obama refused to step into the debate.
Praising Juanes as a "terrific musician" in an interview broadcast on Sunday (20Sep09) by Spanish language TV channel Univision, the politician stopped short of giving a formal endorsement of the concert.
He said, "Let me be clear. The U.S. government isn't a concert promoter. I certainly don't think it hurts U.S.-Cuban relations... (but) I wouldn't overstate the degree that it helps."
Other performing artists at the free International Day of Peace concert included Spanish pop acts Miguel Bose, Victor Manuel and Luis Eduardo Aute, Puerto Rican tropical star Olga Tanon and Cuban artists Amaury Perez, X Alfonso and Los Van Van.