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LatinNews Daily Report - 20 June 2013
Migration talks with Cuba resume
Cuba: On 20 June the Miami Herald reported that the US State Department had confirmed a meeting between US and Cuban officials on 17 July in Washington to resume long-suspended migration talks. The paper cited a US State Department spokesperson, William Ostick, as saying that “continuing to ensure secure migration between the U.S. and Cuba is consistent with our interests in promoting greater freedoms and increased respect for human rights in Cuba”. Three days earlier, another State Department spokesperson, Jen Psaki, said in a daily press briefing that “representatives from the Department of State and the United States Postal Service will meet with representatives from the Government of Cuba for a technical discussion on re-establishing direct transportation of mail”. She was clear, however, that “the reason we’re doing this is because it’s, of course, good for the Cuban people. This is something we feel is good for us. But it’s not meant to be a signal of anything or indicate a change in policy”. Psaki also recalled the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 which “states that, quote, ‘The United States Postal Service shall take such actions as are necessary to provide direct mail service to and from Cuba’”. Bilateral talks to resume the postal service between the two countries last took place in mid-September 2009 and along with other measures like relaxed restrictions on family remittances and travel were considered a sign of a thawing in US-Cuban relations under President Barack Obama. These efforts ground to halt, however, after Cuba in 2009 detained a US national (Alan Gross) for acts against the Cuban state.
