WASHINGTON, USA (EIN) — US and Cuban officials are in negotiations to restore direct postal service between the two countries, one more sign among many recently that, after 50 years of Cold War hostility, they may be on the road to gradual normalization.
While US negotiators deny that the postal talks indicate a change of policy, and the Cubans said progress will not be possible without an end to the US government’s decades-long economic blockade, there clearly has been movement in a number of areas.
Cuba is undergoing major economic and social changes, including a loosening of travel restrictions. Washington has granted visas to prominent Cuban officials, including the daughter of Cuba’s president to visit the US.
On July 17, US and Cuban negotiators are scheduled to meet to discuss long-standing migration issues. According to the Associated Press, “Under the radar, diplomats on both sides describe a sea change in the tone of their dealings.”
Meanwhile, a continuing point of contention is the fate of American Alan Gross who is serving a 15-year prison sentence in Cuba after introducing Internet access equipment to Jews in Cuba.