U.S. concerns reflect "ignorance" of Cuban reality: official

Ongoing talks between Cuba and the United States serve to address misconceptions and "ignorance" of the Cuban society, a top official said Thursday.

"U.S. concerns reflect ignorance of the Cuban reality," state daily Granma quoted Pedro Luis Pedroso, the Foreign Affairs Ministry's deputy director general of multilateral affairs and international law, as saying.

Speaking at a press conference, Pedroso described the U.S.-Cuban talks as a valuable tool for clearing misunderstandings between the two sides and learning about each other's positions.

The latest round of talks on March 31 in Washington revolved around the issue of human rights, which each country accuses the other of violating.

Cuba and the U.S. have "completely different perceptions about human rights" despite the fact that it is an issue that "concerns not just Cuba, but also the international community," noted Pedroso.

Following the talks Tuesday, Cuba's permanent representative to the United Nations and delegation head, Anayansi Rodriguez, suggested that political differences were behind the divergent views.

She said Cuba strives to guarantee such rights as the right to health, education, housing, as well as political participation, while the United States values some rights above others. Endi