U.S. and Cuba meet on resuming direct mail service

The talks, the result of a proposal by the United States in May, are viewed as another step in President Barack Obama's efforts to mend long-broken U.S.-Cuba relations.

In a statement, Cuba said the two sides discussed issues including "transportation of mail, postal security and methods of payment for the service."

It said it presented proposals to the United States and also made clear that restrictions imposed by the longstanding U.S. trade embargo against the island had to be eliminated.

"We are satisfied with the development of this first meeting, which allowed us to examine issues that make it difficult to normalize the exchange of mail," the Cuban Foreign Ministry's Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, who headed the Cuban delegation, said in the statement.

She said the negotiators agreed on the need to hold more talks "in the coming months." The Cuban delegation included officials from the telecommunications ministry and postal service.