Cuban Delegation Arrives in Washington for Second Round of Talks
 
HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 26 (acn) A Cuban delegation, headed by Josefina Vidal, Director of the United States Division of the Cuban Foreign Ministry, arrived in Washington for the second round of talks between Cuba and the US.

According to Granma newspaper, this round will give continuity to the conversations started in January this year in Havana, on the reestablishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of embassies in the respective capitals.
 
Vidal, along the other members of the delegation will carry out an intensive working agenda during their stay in the US capital.

Cuba Awaits U.S. Response to Issues of First Round

Havana, Cuba, Feb 25 (Prensa Latina) Cuba awaits response from the U.S. to its exclusion from the List of Promoters of Terrorism and to the banking problem of its mission in Washington, asserted here today Cuban diplomat Gustavo Machin.

Deputy Director General of the United States in the Cuban Foreign Ministry, assured in a press conference today that his country awaits for answers to those issues at the second round of talks between delegations of Havana and Washington, scheduled to begin in the U.S. capital next Friday.

The Cuban delegation will attend the talks with the State Department on the reestablishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of embassies on both parts with a constructive spirit to continue the dialogue begun in Havana last January, sustained Machin.

The Cuban part, he said, relies on receiving answers to the issues presented at the first round of the talks, which Cuba considers important for the creation of an adequate context to the reestablishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of embassies of both countries.

He indicated those topics are the exclusion of Cuba from the List of Countries Sponsors of International Terrorism and the solution to the banking problem faced by our mission in Washington for more than a year.

The Cuban delegation will insist, as it did during the first round, in the observance of principles of international law and the obligations derived from the Vienna conventions on Diplomatic Relations and Consular Relations among States, he stressed.

In particular, he indicated, what refers to diplomatic personnel behaviour of respect to national laws and to non intervention in domestic affairs of the States.

We are going to make the U.S. delegation aware of the importance of starting this new stage of bilateral relations on solid bases and respect, he reiterated.

Machin highlighted the United States accepted the Cuban delegation’s proposal of July, 2014 and reiterated last January, of sustaining a dialogue on human rights.

"We were satisfied because the State Department accepted our proposal of having this dialog on human rights and the delegation travelling to Washington carries a proposal to carry out this bilateral dialog on bases of equality and respect," he affirmed.

Last December 17, the presidents of Cuba, Raul Castro and of the United States, Barack Obama revealed their decision of taking steps toward the reestablishment of diplomatic relations.

To that end, on January 22, delegations of Cuba and the United States had their first round of talks at the Havana Convention Centre.