U.S., Cuba agree to resume migration talks

By John Whitesides

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Cuba have agreed to resume direct talks on migration, last held in 2003, and open discussions on establishing direct mail service between the two countries, a U.S. official said on Sunday.

Cuba presented a diplomatic note to U.S. officials on Saturday agreeing to a U.S. request made last week to resume the migration talks, which President George W. Bush suspended.

It was a clear sign of movement in President Barack Obama's effort to establish a more cooperative relationship with Cuba, a former Cold War enemy.

The communist nation also presented a note agreeing to a U.S. request proposing talks about direct mail service, which has been suspended for decades.

"The two notes are a very positive step forward," the U.S. official said. "Our goal has always been safe, orderly migration out of Cuba ... It's in our interest to resume these talks."

The official said the Cubans also indicated an interest in holding talks on counter-narcotics, counter-terrorism and hurricane disaster responses -- areas where the two countries have had sporadic cooperation in the decades since the U.S. broke off diplomatic ties and imposed an embargo.

The word came as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton began a three-day trip to Latin America that will include a meeting of the Organization of American States, where a majority of Latin American members are expected to support Cuba's re-entry to the hemispheric group.

The OAS suspended Cuba in 1962 after Fidel Castro's revolution steered the island toward communism and a close alliance with the Soviet Union.