U.S., Cuba meet for second round of talks for diplomatic ties

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- The United States and Cuba sat together at the negotiation table again for the second round of talks that some hope will reestablish diplomatic ties after a 50-year freeze.

Similar to the talks in Havana in January, this new round in the nation's capital will focus on the issues related to establishing full-fledged embassies in Washington and Havana, financial services and the movement of diplomats.

Unlike the first round of talks, which garnered great fanfare, this round is expected to be more mundane. A senior State Department official told The Wall Street Journal, "they may seem a little bit disappointingly workmanlike."

The closed-door talks began about 8:45 a.m. with Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta S. Jacobson leading the U.S. delegation and Josefina Vidal, head of the Cuban Foreign Relations Ministry's U.S. division, leading the Cuban delegation.

As part of the talks, Havana wants the United States to remove Cuba from its list of states that sponsor terrorism. Secretary of State John Kerry said the list is separate from the ongoing talks, but is something that will be addressed in the future.

U.S. officials hope to have diplomatic ties restored before the Summit of the Americas in April. It is unclear if that will happen if Cuba is not quickly removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, which could take up to 45 days.