Obama says does not anticipate overnight changes in Cuba

U.S. President Barack Obama gestures as he answers a question during his end of the year press conference in the briefing room of the White House in Washington, December 19, 2014. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday said the Cuban government still represses its citizens, and that he does not expect overnight changes as a result of normalized relations between Cuba and the United States. "What I know deep in my bones is that if you've done the same thing for 50 years and nothing has changed you should try something different," Obama told reporters in an end-of-year news conference. (Reporting by Gabriel Debenedetti; Editing by Chris Reese)