Cuba wants to negotiate an agreement with the U.S. to slow the trafficking of its citizens fleeing the island and hopes to tackle the issue during immigration talks rescheduled for February, AP cited the foreign minister as saying today. Bruno Rodriguez said negotiators will meet Feb. 19 in Havana and Cuba wants Washington's help in combating people smuggling, often carried out by gangs with souped-up speed boats that ferry Cubans out of the country. While some head for Florida, most arrive on the Caribbean coast of Mexico or Central America and make their way north to the U.S., where they usually are allowed to stay. «Part of the Cuban agenda presented to the government of the United States is a proposal for a new immigration agreement and solidifying cooperation in the fight against people trafficking,» Rodriguez said. Under U.S. law, Cubans captured at sea are usually deported while those who reach American soil can apply for residency _ making Mexico an attractive route. Cuba has long denounced Washington's so-called «wet-foot, dry-foot» policy as encouraging illegal immigration. Rodriguez said the United States has yet to respond to Cuba's proposals, however, and a spokeswoman at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana _ which Washington maintains instead of an embassy since the two countries do not have diplomatic relations _ said Thursday that Washington has not yet finalized an exact date for the talks.
