US, Cuba to Resume Talks on Immigration & Mail

01 June 2009

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she is pleased that Cuba has agreed to resume talks with the United States on immigration and direct mail services.

She made the remark late Sunday after arriving in El Salvador to attend Monday's presidential inauguration.

The Associated Press quotes Clinton as saying the U.S. will continue to press the Cuban government to protect basic rights, release political prisoners, and move toward democratic reform.

Earlier, a senior State Department official said Cuba agreed Saturday to a U.S. offer to reopen migration talks that were last held in 2003.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the two governments also plan to discuss joint efforts to combat drug trafficking.

The United States and Cuba share some information about human-smuggling and drug-trafficking operations on a case-by-case basis. The U.S. official said the planned new talks will expand those contacts and aim to strengthen ties between Washington and Havana.

Another topic for discussion by the two sides will be direct mail service. All mail between Cuba and the U.S. currently is processed through third countries.

The U.S. employs a "wet foot, dry foot" policy for illegal Cuban immigrants. Under the policy, Cubans who make it to U.S. soil usually are allowed to stay. Those intercepted at sea are most often returned.