Havana, September 18: Cuba and the US have opened negotiations in Havana to re-establish direct postal exchanges, which have been cut off for almost half-a-century.
On Thursday, a US official was quoted by the German Press Agency, dpa, as saying in Havana that the talks were to continue “throughout the day” at a secret location.
The US delegation was headed by Bisa Williams, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the western hemisphere, and included representatives of the US Postal Service. No details were released about the Cuban delegation in the talks.
Direct postal services between the United States and Cuba were suspended in 1963. Since then, despite their proximity, letters between the two countries always pass through a third country and may take weeks or months before reaching their destination.
Havana and Washington have moved slowly to improve ties since the inauguration of US President Barack Obama in January. In June, the two countries re-launched immigration talks in New York.
Immigration talks had been suspended six years earlier, and the two sides plan to hold another meeting by the end of the year in Cuba to discuss the issue.
—–Agencies