海角大神

The highest-level聽U.S. delegation to聽Cuba聽in decades kicked off two days of negotiations Wednesday after grand promises by President Barack Obama about change on the island and a somber warning from聽Cuba聽to abandon hopes of reforming the communist government.

U.S. moves to restore diplomatic relations with聽Cuba聽and loosen the five-decade trade embargo have "the potential to end a legacy of mistrust in our hemisphere" and have "added up to new hope for the future in聽Cuba," Obama said in his State of the Union address Tuesday night in Washington.

A senior Cuban official cautioned, however, that restoring diplomatic ties with the聽U.S. would not immediately lead to a full relationship between the Cold War foes after a half-century of enmity.

The message appeared designed to lower expectations, coming just before Obama spoke to a聽U.S. Capitol audience that included American Alan Gross, whose release from聽Cuba聽in a prisoner exchange last month cleared the way for a new relationship.

Wednesday's conversations in Havana started with a continuation of efforts by the two sides in recent years to promote what the State Department calls "safe, legal and orderly migration." That ranges from the security of charter flights that travel regularly between Miami and Havana to rooting out fraudulent passports and working jointly on potential search-and-rescue missions.

Thursday's talks are trickier. They are scheduled to deal with the mechanics of re-establishing a聽U.S. Embassy in Havana headed by an ambassador, and a Cuban Embassy in Washington.

Last month's announcement of detente has spawned high optimism on both sides of the Florida Straits, but the high-ranking Cuban diplomat said his country "isn't normalizing relations with the United States." He said聽Cuba聽was re-establishing diplomatic ties, but the process of normalization is "much longer and deeper." Reporters were briefed on condition that the official not be quoted by name.

Republican leaders in the聽U.S. Congress are opposed to rapidly rebuilding the relationship as long as President Raul Castro remains firmly in control of聽Cuba. Other obstacles include billions of dollars in economic claims against聽Cuba's聽government, American fugitives living freely in聽Cuba聽and the opposition of many Cuban-Americans.

Still, the biggest potential challenge is the Castro government. It needs cash for its stagnant economy but fears Obama's new policy merely repackages the long-standing聽U.S. goal to push him from power.

The Cuban diplomat expressed optimism about the long-term prospects for U.S.-Cuban relations as long as Washington does not try to change聽Cuba's聽single-party government and centrally planned economy. Those are tenets of聽Cuba's聽system that theU.S. long has opposed.

American officials have said they hope their new path of engagement will empower Cubans and soften the government's control over the country.

Leading the聽U.S. delegation to Havana is Roberta Jacobson, the most senior American official to visit聽Cuba聽in 35 years. The assistant聽U.S. secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs was to arrive later Wednesday.

The rosters on both sides include officials well-known to one another from years of cautious efforts to improve cooperation.

Immediate聽U.S. objectives include the lifting of restrictions on American diplomats' staffing numbers and travel inside聽Cuba, easier shipments to the current聽U.S. Interests Section and unfettered access for Cubans to the building. The Americans say restoration of full diplomatic ties depends on how quickly the Cubans meet the聽U.S. requests.

Jacobson also planned to meet Cuban activists and civil society representatives.

The Cuban diplomat said his country's delegation would object to the聽U.S. granting virtually automatic legal residency to Cuban immigrants.

Cuba's聽government blames聽U.S. policies for drawing thousands of Cubans a year into making dangerous journeys in hopes of touching land and winning the right to live in the United States.聽Cuba聽also will push hard to be removed from the聽U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, the diplomat said.

The聽U.S. and聽Cuba聽haven't had diplomatic relations since 1961, soon after Fidel Castro seized power. Interests sections were established in the late 1970s as a means of opening a channel between the two countries, but any diplomatic goodwill they generated quickly evaporated.

Some changes have come in the last month. The Cubans last week released 53 political prisoners. Three days later, the Obama administration significantly eased travel and trade rules with聽Cuba.