U.S., Cuba say progress made in talks; no date for diplomatic ties

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson (3rdL), head of the U.S. delegation; and Josefina Vidal (4thR), director general of the U.S. Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and head of the Cuban delegation, meet with their delegations at the State Department in Washington February 27, 2015. REUTERS/Gary Cameron

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cuba and the United States held a second round of talks on Friday towards normalizing ties, and both sides said they made good progress, although they did not set a date for renewal of diplomatic relations that Washington severed 54 years ago.

Going into the talks, Communist-ruled Cuba pushed to be removed from a U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. But Washington said that while it was reviewing Cuba's place on the list, the designation should not be linked to the negotiations on renewing relations and opening embassies.