The New York Times and El País report that the Obama adminsitration is ready to re-open channels with the Cuban government that had been closed during the Bush administration to address the issue of imigration.    The Times also notes, however that this is a gesture to fend off pressure to allow Cuba’s inclusion in the Organization of American States.

The gesture comes as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is trying to fend off pressure from her Latin American counterparts to make an even bolder break from past policies by endorsing a proposal that would reintegrate Cuba into the Organization of American States.

A State Department spokesman, Ian C. Kelly, said, “We intend to use the renewal of talks to reaffirm both sides’ commitment to safe, legal and orderly migration; to review recent trends in illegal Cuban migration to the United States; and to improve operational relations with Cuba on migration issues.”

The high-level meetings became a biannual fixture in the mid-1990s after Cuba and the United States signed accords aimed at stemming massive waves of Cubans who were abandoning the island by boat. But President George W. Bush ended the meetings in 2004 — and effectively shut down most avenues of regular communication with Havana — after accusing Cuba of ignoring a variety of delicate issues, including exit visas, the treatment of Cubans repatriated to the island and the surveillance of dissidents.

Two months ago, President Obama lifted restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba for Cuban-Americans with relatives on the island. Even before the administration disclosed its latest initiative, outlined in a letter delivered to Cuban officials on Friday, it was clear that the reaction at home and abroad could pose significant political challenges.

Sarah Stephens, an expert on Cuba policy, praised the move, saying, “It is a signal not just to Cuba but also to the region that we’re leaving behind our policy of isolation and moving in the direction of engagement.”

Three members of Florida’s congressional delegation — Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Mario Diaz-Balart, all of whom are Republicans — issued a joint statement denouncing the administration for proposing reopening talks with Cuba.

They said Mr. Bush had suspended the meetings because the Cuban government refused to give exit visas to Cubans who had received permission to enter the United States.