Cuba, US reach maritime rescue agreement

Cuba, US reach maritime rescue agreement
Published September 21, 2013 AFP

HAVANA (AFP) – Cuba and the United States have reached a rare
preliminary agreement on working together more closely, in the field of
air and maritime rescue, Havana's state newspaper Granma said.

Every year thousands of Cubans leave the country illegally aboard
fragile boats to try to reach Florida, which is 145 kilometres (90
miles) away.

The provisional agreement was reached Friday and must now be approved by
the governments of each country.

Havana and Washington have not had diplomatic relations since 1961, two
years after Fidel Castro came to power in the Cuban revolution.

Under current policy, US-bound Cubans caught on the high seas are
repatriated. But if they make it to US shores they are let in, allowed
to stay and in a year or so acquire residence papers.

Cuban and US officials held talks Monday on resuming direct postal
service between the two countries. In July they resumed discussions on
migratory issues. These had been on hold since 2011.

Source: "Cuba, US reach maritime rescue agreement | Fox News" -
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