No restrictions on mail from Cuba, says US

Washington, Jan 23 (IANS/EFE) The US has said it has placed no restrictions on mail from Cuba, after Havana announced it was stopping deliveries to America after mail sent through airlines of other countries were sent back to Cuba.

A few new measures, adopted after two packages containing bombs were sent from Yemen to the US in October last year, however, apply to all countries, a US State Department spokesperson said, adding that the US Postal Service has imposed no restrictions on Cuban mail and has not ordered that it be returned.

The Correos de Cuba postal service took a decision to stop sending mail to the US because third-country airlines “returned in its entirety all correspondence sent to that country”, according to a statement.

Cuba said air carriers were returning mail undelivered as a result of “new modifications” the US has made to security procedures.

The US and Cuba have have had no diplomatic relations since 1961, and direct mail between the two countries was suspended in 1963, forcing it to go through third countries.

The US spokesperson said the suspension of service could be due to the return of US-bound mail by third country air carriers unable to transport it to its destination, and who may thus be declining to carry any mail from Cuba to the US.

Delegations of both governments met in September 2009 in Havana to begin talks on the possible renewal of direct mail service.

Around 25 percent of all international mail from Cuba goes to the US, home to several million Cuban exiles.

–IANS/EFE