Cuba invited for talks despite contact freeze

European Union foreign ministers agreed yesterday to invite a Cuban delegation to Brussels to explore the scope for a gradual thaw in ties but chose not to end a four-year-old freeze on contacts.

The 27-member bloc imposed the freeze after a crackdown on dissidents on the island country in 2003. It eased restrictions on some lower-level contacts in 2005 and Spain has been leading a push for relations to be fully normalized.

However, the Spanish campaign met resistance from others, notably the Czech Republic, which is insisting the EU remain tough on its demand that human rights be improved.