Third round of U.S.-Cuba talks set in Havana

Third round of U.S.-Cuba talks set in Havana
BY MIMI WHITEFIELD MWHITEFIELD@MIAMIHERALD.COM
03/13/2015 3:14 PM 03/13/2015 8:34 PM

Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta S.
Jacobson heads to Havana on Sunday for more talks aimed at renewing
diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba and opening
embassies.

The talks will take place on Monday and could be extended beyond a day
if warranted, said a senior U.S. State Department official who briefed
reporters Friday on the upcoming trip.

"There's not a historic nature to this one," said the official who added
that the ongoing conversations had progressed to a point that both sides
thought another face-to-face meeting was a good idea.

During this third round of talks, Jacobson will once again meet with her
Cuban counterpart, Josefina Vidal, director general of the U.S. division
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Although time is running short, the Obama administration is still
hopeful relations can be renewed and embassies opened by the April 10-11
Summit of the Americas in Panama.

"We will see whether we can get there," said the State Department official.

The United States' half-century-old policy of isolating Cuba has caused
tensions with other countries in the hemisphere and the administration
would like to show significant progress on Cuba before the Panama meeting.

Both President Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raúl Castro plan to attend
the summit.

The leaders announced on Dec. 17 that the two countries were committed
to reestablishing ties and opening embassies in their respective capitals.

The Cuban and U.S. delegations last met in Washington on Feb. 27 and
have been in communication on various topics since then.

The U.S. delegation plans to work on some of the same issues that were
discussed in earlier conversations, such as its desire for American
diplomats to travel freely outside Havana and talk with the Cuban
people, staffing levels at the future embassy and unimpeded access to
the U.S. diplomatic mission.

The official said a review of Cuba's continuation on the U.S. list of
state sponsors of terrorism is continuing: "That review is underway. We
will complete it as quickly as we can. We have always said that it
shouldn't be linked to reestablishing diplomatic relations and reopening
embassies."

Part of the review process involves getting information from the Cuban
government, the official said.

The U.S. side is disappointed but not surprised at the Cuban position on
recently announced U.S. sanctions against some Venezuelan military
leaders, the official said, but those differences "will not have an
impact on these discussions."

Since the Feb. 27 talks, the two sides have met to discuss civil
aviation and air travel links. "Those talks were quite productive," the
official said.

The two sides also met to discuss human trafficking, and a U.S.
delegation will head to Havana for a March 24-26 dialogue on a U.S.
proposal to open the Cuban telecom market to more participation by
American companies.

A dialogue on human rights also is expected to be held before the end of
the month, but no date has been set yet. Asked about the high number of
short-term detentions of Cuban dissidents and activists — even with the
talks under way — the official said that the United States remains
concerned about the tactic.

Still, the official said progress is being made in improving relations
between the two formerly hostile neighbors.

"I think since the second round [of talks], there's been a real
seriousness of purpose," said the State Department official. "I am
pleased with that and think we're making very good progress. As the
president and secretary have said, you don't overcome 50 years of policy
in a month."

The official added that legally and diplomatically, reestablishment of
diplomatic ties and opening of embassies don't have to occur at the same
time, "but we believe they should happen simultaneously."

Source: Third round of U.S.-Cuba talks set in Havana | Miami Herald
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http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article14032379.html