US, Cuba address obstacles to resuming diplomatic ties

US, Cuba address obstacles to resuming diplomatic ties
BY BRADLEY KLAPPER AND MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN ASSOCIATED PRESS
01/22/2015 3:57 AM 01/22/2015 3:57 AM

HAVANA
The United States and Cuba are trying to eliminate obstacles to
normalized ties as the highest-level U.S. delegation to the communist
island in more than three decades holds a second day of talks with Cuban
officials.

U.S. objectives during Thursday's session include the lifting of
restrictions on American diplomats in Cuba and assurances that Cubans
will have unfettered access to a future U.S. Embassy in Havana. The
Americans say the resumption in full diplomatic relations depends on how
quickly its requests are met. Cuba is demanding its removal from a U.S.
list of state sponsors of terrorism, which Washington says it is
considering.

On Wednesday, the U.S. said it dispatched additional ships to the
Florida Straits to halt Cuban rafters but rebuffed demands for broader
changes to U.S. migration rules that grant virtually automatic legal
residency to any Cuban who touches U.S. soil.

Cuba's government blames the Cold War policy for luring tens of
thousands of Cubans a year to make perilous journeys by land and sea to
try to reach the United States. Still, many Cubans are worried the
elimination of the rules would take away their chance to have a better
life in the U.S.

In Washington, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said
America's "wet foot, dry foot" approach, which generally shields Cubans
from deportation if they reach U.S. territory, remains in effect. But he
stressed that those trying to come illegally would most likely be
interdicted and returned.

U.S. officials reported a spike in the number of rafters attempting to
reach Florida after the Dec. 17 announcement that the countries would
move to normalize ties. Those numbers appear to have slowed in recent days.

"Cuba wants a normal relationship with the U.S., in the broadest sense
but also in the area of migration," said Cuba's head of North American
affairs, Josefina Vidal. She called for the U.S. to end "exceptional
treatment that no other citizens in the world receive, causing an
irregular situation in the flow of migrants."

American officials instead pressed Cuba to take back tens of thousands
of its nationals whom U.S. authorities want to deport because they have
been convicted of crimes. No progress was made on that issue, according
to an official present in the meeting. The official wasn't authorized to
speak on the matter and demanded anonymity.

The talks Thursday are expected to focus on the broader question of how
the U.S. and Cuba can end a half-century of enmity — as promised by
Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro last month. The nations hope to
re-establish embassies and post ambassadors to each other's capitals in
the coming months.

After meeting with the Cubans for more than three hours, the State
Department's Alex Lee said the "discussions prove that despite clear
differences that remain between our countries, the United States and
Cuba can find opportunities to advance our mutual, shared interests as
well as engage in respectful and thoughtful dialogue."

Lee led the U.S. delegation ahead of Wednesday afternoon's arrival of
Roberta Jacobson, the top American diplomat for Latin America and most
senior U.S. official to visit Cuba since 1980.

Lt. Cmdr. Gabe Somma, spokesman for the Coast Guard's 7th District in
Miami, said "aggressively" stepped-up patrols have eased the increase in
rafters seen immediately after the twin announcements last month by
Castro and Obama.

"We have seen a slowdown in the last two weeks," he said.

Source: US, Cuba address obstacles to resuming diplomatic ties | The
Miami Herald The Miami Herald -
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article7921074.html