News Analysis: Cuba, U.S. face wide gaps in efforts to restore ties

Cuba and the United States are scheduled to continue their talks on Thursday on restoring diplomatic relations, but whether they will agree on "when and how" to open embassies is hard to predict as outstanding gaps are yet to be bridged.

For the new round of talks slated for Thursday in Washington, the United States has focused the agenda on upgrading the current interest sections in both capitals to embassies, which will be the most significant indicator that their ties are turning normal.

But top U.S. diplomat for Latin America Roberta Jacobson admitted on Wednesday that "significant differences" with Cuba remained.

Urged by Cuba time and again as a precondition for a thaw in relations, the White House submitted to Congress its quest to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, which is expected to become effective on May 29.

However, other prerequisites insisted by Havana for full diplomatic ties like the end of trade embargo and the return of Guantanamo Bay have been largely ignored by the U.S. side.

"The process towards normalizing ties will not be possible as long as the embargo exists," Cuban President Raul Castro said at the Third Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in January in Costa Rica.

The U.S. trade embargo, started during the 1960s to sanction the new Cuban government headed by Raul's brother Fidel due to Cold War ideology and for geopolitical reasons, has been the main stumbling block to normalizing ties between the two countries.

In response to a preliminary softening of the U.S. stance on Cuba, the Cuban side sounded a bit upbeat.

Gustavo Machin, deputy director for U.S. affairs in the Cuban Foreign Ministry, told the press on Monday that conditions are now favorable for restoring diplomatic relations with Washington.

"We don't see obstacles but rather issues to resolve and discuss," he confirmed.

As a matter of fact, both sides are anxious to see the process get started properly and yield fruits they have yearned for years in the foreseeable future.

The current generation of Cuban leaders is burdened with the responsibility to overthrow the embargo and leave behind a flourishing economy for the younger Cubans. If the job is left half way for their successors to complete, the outcome and consequences would be more unpredictable, observers said.

On the other hand, the Barrack Obama administration has also been driven by a sense of urgency to build a diplomatic legacy for its much pale governance during his second term.

Nevertheless, negative factors work alongside these positive elements. The strong opposition of the Cuban exiles in Miami, Florida, as well as a bunch of Republican Congressmen who take pleasure in Obama's hardship, may prolong the accomplishment of the historic mission far behind this Thursday. Endi