(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-03-09 11:17

HAVANA - EU commissioner Louis Michel said here on Saturday that EU sanctions against Cuba remain a hurdle to the normalization of bilateral ties.

Michel, the commissioner for EU's development and humanitarian aid affairs, made the remarks during a joint news conference with Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque.

The two agreed that Michel's visit was an important step for the European Union (EU) and Cuba to establish mutual respect and open a constructive dialog.

Perez Roque said that Michel's first visit to Cuba in 2005 had signaled  the EU members' willingness to improve ties with Cuba.

Michel arrived in Cuban capital Havana Thursday to start a four-day official visit to the Caribbean country.

The visit, only few days after Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro handed over power to his brother Raul Castro, is generally considered an opportunity for the EU and Cuba to meliorate bilateral relations.

In 2003, the EU imposed sanctions against Cuba after the island country arrested 75 dissidents. Bilateral relations have got bogged down ever since.