Cuban media carry rare interview with US diplomat

HAVANA (AP) — Communist Party newspaper Granma published a lengthy interview with a U.S. diplomat Monday, making for highly unusual reading in a country where the official media routinely depict Washington envoys as hostile agents in cahoots with enemies of the Cuban government.

In the full-page article, Granma journalists quizzed Consul General Timothy Roche about the requirements and procedures for obtaining a U.S. visa, and more generally about U.S. migratory policy for islanders. The U.S. Interests Section, which Washington maintains in Havana instead of an embassy since the countries do not have formal diplomatic relations, has fielded increased inquires about the subject since a new Cuban travel law took effect Jan. 14.