HAVANA - A meeting was recently held here in Cuba between delegations from Cuba and the United States, Alejandro Garcia del Toro, deputy director general for US affairs at Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Cuba's state daily Granma on Monday.

"The US side was represented by assistant secretaries of the State Department, while the Cuban side participated at the level of deputy minister of foreign affairs," Garcia told the Cuban Communist Party's newspaper.

He said the talks have been handled "with discretion," as they are considered by the Cuban government to be "a sensitive matter."

Garcia stressed neither side set deadlines or made any coercive demands, and all exchanges took place respectfully and professionally.

"The removal of the energy blockade against the country was a top priority" for the Cuban representatives, he said, referring to sanctions announced by Washington against countries that sell fuel to Cuba.

"This act of economic coercion is an unjustified punishment against the entire Cuban population. It is also a form of global blackmail against sovereign states, which have every right to export fuel to Cuba under the rules governing free trade," Garcia emphasized.