US-Cuba talks to enter fourth round on May 21

The US Department of State has announced it will meet Cuban representatives for a fourth round of talks on May 21 to discuss re-establishing diplomatic ties and re-opening embassies in Washington and Havana, Efe news agency reported.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson and her Cuban counterpart Josefina Vidal will lead the talks.

It will be the first meeting since March and the fourth since December 17, when US President Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro announced the resumption of ties, broken since 1961.

The last round of talks was held in Havana in March, nearly a month before the Summit of the Americas in Panama, where Obama and Castro met in person.

The State Department said it would receive a Cuban delegation, but did not say where the meeting would be held.

"A US embassy in Havana will allow the United States to more effectively promote our interests and values, and increase engagement with the Cuban people," the department said in a statement on Thursday.

"Since the president's announcement of his new direction on Cuba last December, the United States and Cuba have seen growing communication on a variety of issues, including matters of mutual concern such as migration, law enforcement, access to information, environmental protection, and trafficking in persons," the statement said.

The State Department said more details would be provided in the coming days.