2nd LD Writethru: "Serious disagreements" remain as U.S., Cuba claim progress in talks

U.S. and Cuban officials said progress was made in the second round of talks on resuming diplomatic ties here Friday, but they also cautioned that "serious disagreements" remained.

U.S. Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Roberta Jacobson who leads the U.S. delegation, described the talks as "productive" and "encouraging", saying that the two sides made "meaningful" progress in resolving their differences.

She also expressed optimism that the U.S. and Cuba could open embassies in each other's capital ahead of the Summit of the Americas slated for April 10-11. But she added that "serious disagreements remained."

The assessment was echoed by her counterpart, Josefina Vidal, Cuba's lead negotiator who heads the Cuban foreign ministry's U.S. division.

She told reporters that progress had been made in the talks, but also cautioned that differences remained.

Friday's talks, which focused on reopening embassies, continued the bilateral dialogue initiated on Jan. 22 in Havana, and was seen as a key step in the reengagement between the two adversaries since December.

One sticking point of the talks is Cuba's inclusion in the U.S. blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism since 1982.

During Friday's talks, Vidal renewed the call for Cuba to be removed from the list, although she said it's not a precondition for re-establishing diplomatic relations.

In announcing a shift in Cuban policy in December, U.S. President Barack Obama instructed Secretary of State John Kerry to review Cuba's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. Washington has claimed that it sees the review as separate from the diplomatic talks. Endi