Cuba: U.S. Diplomat to Return for Third Round of Talks

The United States and Cuba will hold a third round of talks next week about restoring diplomatic ties and reopening embassies as they seek to work through sticking points that have emerged since
President Obama and President Raúl Castro of Cuba announced a push toward normal relations in December. The talks were abruptly scheduled at the invitation of the Cubans. The United States will be represented by Roberta S. Jacobson, Washington’s top diplomat for the Americas. Ms. Jacobson will travel to Havana on Sunday, and a senior official at the State Department said she would probably stay until midweek. No announcements were expected, but the sides planned to discuss issues holding up plans to reopen embassies before a regional summit meeting in April. Cuba wants to be removed from the State Department’s list of nations that sponsor international terrorism and seeks access to banking for its diplomatic posts in the United States. American officials are pushing for an increase in the number of staff members at the planned American Embassy in Havana and unrestricted travel for diplomats on the island. The two sides held talks in Havana in January and in Washington last month, reporting progress but no breakthroughs.