With extensive media coverage of national and international press, the negotiations, which were held at the Havana International Conference Center, were based on the will expressed about the presidents of the two countries on December 17th.
According to Cuban diplomacy, the biggest obstacle to the approach we want the two governments is the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba Washington for more than half a century, however, despite the profound differences between the two sides , the spokesmen of the two delegations agreed to call positive, constructive and flexible negotiations.
However, both delegations stated that this is the beginning of a long process.
As part of the program planned in advance, on 21 January the twenty-eighth round of migration talks between Cuba and the United States was performed.
At this stage, the US delegation was headed by assistant secretary of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Department of State, Edward Alex Lee.
The official publicly expressed his satisfaction with the results of exchanges and reiterated the traditional position of Washington to maintain in force the Cuban Adjustment Act, in force since 1966, and the policy of wet foot dry foot.
For its part, the Director General of United States of the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Josefina Vidal Ferreira, who led the representation of the Caribbean island, emphasized that these regulations confer exclusive benefits and Cubans are the main incentives for illegal immigration into the country northern.
The January 22 talks about the process were made to restore diplomatic ties and embassies in the respective capitals, which according to the two delegations will need sufficient time to solve a set of legal and logistical obstacles.
In this exchange, the US side was led by Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson, while the representation of the island led Josefina Vidal.
In several press contacts, spokespersons of the two delegations agreed that steps should be based on the principles of international law, the United Nations Charter and the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations.
After completing this session on Thursday afternoon, Vidal reaffirmed that history shows that Cuba has never responded or respond to pressures from nowhere. The clarification was made in response to a statement that the US delegation handed to the press, which ensures that the American representation in dialogues Cuban pressed on the issue of human rights.
At no time was used the word pressure on the exchange on Thursday, and that’s not a word that is used in discussions of this level, reaffirmed Vidal, who reiterated his country’s proposal to address the United States at expert level our views on the matter.
The Cuban official expressed the apparent contradiction between the process towards the resumption of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States and the fact that Washington keeps Cuba in the list of countries that the White House sponsor terrorism.
Moreover, in a press release, the island’s delegation expressed serious concerns about the lack of guarantees and protection of human rights in the United States.
In this regard, the Cuban delegation highlighted in particular the continued illegal detention in prison in the US naval base at Guantanamo.
He also condemned the increasingly alarming, as recent events in the town of Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City, which show the rise of racism and racial discrimination in the northern nation police brutality.
Translated by: Daysi Olano Fernandez
