The White House is expected to announce an agreement with Cuba in early July to reopen embassies and restore diplomatic relations severed more than five decades ago, US sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.
The two sides hope to conclude the deal by the first week of next month, clearing the way for upgrading the US Interests Section to a full-scale embassy, the sources said, Reuters reported.
Sources also said the exact timetable for the formal embassy opening was unclear because of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s recovery from a broken leg suffered in a May 31 biking accident in France.
According to sources, US President Barack Obama’s administration hoped to formally notify Congress within the next two weeks of its intention to reopen the Havana embassy.
Cuba is likely to act in sync with the US on reopening of the embassies, issuing its own announcement on restoring ties, one source said. But it was unclear how fast the two sides would act in naming ambassadors.
