Postal talks are part of an ongoing effort to promote the free flow of information to and from that country.
Officials with the United States Postal Service met with their Cuban counterparts last week in Washington to discuss resuming direct mail service between the two nations. The talks, conducted in accordance with a 1992 U.S. law aimed at encouraging democracy in Cuba, are part of an ongoing effort to promote the free flow of information to and from that country.
Cuban postal worker Jackeline Morera attends a line of people buying stamps at a Vedado neighborhood post office in Havana, Cuba. (file)
Mail service between the United States and Cuba has been limited for 50 years. Since 1963 the only way to get a letter from the United States to Cuba or vice versa has been to send it through a third nation. Talks to resume direct mail service were held previously in 2009 and are being renewed now in hopes that an agreement can be achieved.
The United States has reached out to the Cuban people on other fronts as well. The U.S. Government has facilitated people-to-people exchanges by Americans interested in visiting the island. Opportunities for American college students to study on the island have been expanded. Cuban Americans are permitted to send unlimited financial remittances to Cuba, which will provide many there with resources and opportunities for self-employment and fuel the emergence of a market economy.
The United States also recognizes the importance of engaging with the pro-democracy and human rights activists who have been working for years to expand the political and civil rights of all Cubans.
Through these and other efforts, the United States strives to bring about greater contact and mutual understanding between the American and the Cuban people.