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ByAliciaA.Caldwell The Associated Press WASHINGTON Thirty-eight Cuban migrants caught trying to sail to the U.S. are stranded aboard a U.S. Coast Guard vessel, waiting for permission from the Cu- ban government to return home, The Associated Press has learned. The would-be immi- grants had tourist visas to the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia when they were intercepted at sea by the Coast Guard, U.S. offi- cials said. The Cuban gov- ernment has refused re-en- try to island because their return does not comport with a repatriation agree- ment with the U.S., one offi- cial said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not au- thorized to publicly discuss details of the situation. The migrants were among about 96 Cubans who were intercepted at sea and taken aboard the Coast Guard cutter Vigi- lant, a 210-foot ship oper- ating out of Port Canav- eral, Florida. The ship typi- cally carries 75 officers and crew. The Cuban govern- ment allowed the return of the other 58 people. Under U.S. law, Cuban nationals who make it onto U.S. soil are granted per- mission to come into the country and can quickly be- come legal permanent res- idents and eventually U.S. citizens. Migrants caught at sea generally are sent back to Cuba. The Cuban gov- ernment has historically allowed U.S. authorities to quickly repatriate those mi- grants caught at sea. The migrants were found near the Virgin Islands in late April and have been aboard the Vigilant in inter- national waters since, one of the officials said. The so-called wet-foot- dry-foot policy has long angered Cuba's communist leaders who have argued that the policy encourages Cuban citizens to make the treacherous trip across the Florida Straits, often on homemade rafts or rickety boats in hopes of landing on U.S. soil. In recent years, the Cu- ban government under President Raul Castro has made it easier for Cubans to travel overseas by eliminat- ing a decades-old and un- popular exit visa require- ment. The decision to keep the migrants from returning is likely to cause a diplomatic rift as both governments have been negotiating con- ditions for re-establishing diplomatic relations. Pres- idents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced the effort in December. The United States and Cuba are trying to wrap up an agreement in the com- ing days that would allow them to re-establish embas- sies and post ambassadors to each other's capitals after a half-century interruption. Officials from both govern- ments were planning to meet in Havana Friday to discuss the situation. Roberta Jacobson, the top U.S. diplomat for Latin America, will meet Josefina Vidal, her Cuban counter- part, next week in Wash- ington. The biggest obstacle to restoring full diplomatic re- lations is almost gone: the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of ter- rorism. Obama announced his intention last month to delist Cuba, and the change will become effective May 29, when a 45-day waiting period expires. The desig- nation has ramifications for Cuban access to inter- national financial institu- tions. COAST GUARD Do ze ns o f Cu ba ns s tr an de d at s ea a bo ar d ve ss el COASTGUARDVIAAP The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant is shown. Thirty-eight Cuban migrants caught trying to sail to the U.S. are stranded aboard a U.S. Coast Guard vessel, waiting for permission from the Cuban government to return home. By Matthew Lee The Associated Press BEIJING U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in China to press Beijing to halt increasingly assertive actions it is taking in the South China Sea that have alarmed the United States and China's smaller neigh- bors. Amid verbal sparring between U.S. and Chinese officials over land recla- mation projects China is conducting in disputed waters, Kerry arrived in Beijing on Saturday for a series of meetings with the communist nation's top leaders. American officials said this week that Kerry is bringing a message to Bei- jing that China's large- scale land reclamation and general behavior in the South China Sea hurt China's image and foreign relations, including with the U.S. China has reacted an- grily to suggestions the U.S. may send military ships and planes to challenge Chinese claims to islands it is build- ing. On Friday, Beijing re- affirmed that it will defend those claims and won't re- main passive if they are threatened. The claims have rat- tled the region, where South China Sea islands and reefs are contested by China and five other Asian governments. The U.S. says it takes no position on the sovereignty claims but in- sists they must be negoti- ated. Washington also says ensuring maritime safety and access to some of the world's busiest commercial shipping routes is a U.S. na- tional security priority. In one disputed area, the Spratly Islands, U.S. officials say China has re- claimed about 2,000 acres of dry land since 2014 that could be used as airstrips or for military purposes. The U.S. argues that man-made constructions cannot be used to claim sovereignty. Obama administration officials have declined to comment on reports that it may deploy military assets or that it is considering a demonstration of freedom of navigation within 12 nau- tical miles of the islands' no- tional territorial zone. But they have said many of the features claimed by China in the disputed Spratlys are submerged and do not carry territorial rights, and said China cannot "manufacture sovereignty." On Friday, China hit back, saying it would be unswerving in defending its national interests. "I would like to stress again that China's deter- mination to defend national sovereignty and its legiti- mate rights and interests is unswerving," foreign min- istry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters. "We will adopt stern mea- sures to counter any acts that will pose provocations and threats against China." Also Friday, state broad- caster CCTV ran an in- terview with China's am- bassador to the U.S., Cui Tiankai, in which he lashed out what he de- scribed as Washington's hypocrisy and confronta- tional attitude. China says the U.S. ignores improve- ments it says other claim- ants are also making on their island holdings. In addition to the South China Sea issues, Kerry will be looking to make progress with China in other areas, including climate change and cyber security, when he meets President Xi Jinping, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the country's top mil- itary officer. His visit will also set the stage for annual U.S.- China economic and strate- gic talks this summer and a trip to the U.S. by Xi in the fall. WORLD Kerry to press Beijing to halt projects in South China Sea SAUL LOEB — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, le , talks with China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General Cong Peiwu as Kerry disembarks from his airplane a er arriving at Beijing International Airport in Beijing, on Saturday. By Tom Odula and Gerard Nzohabona The Associated Press BUJUMBURA, BURUNDI President Pierre Nkurun- ziza thanked his security forces Friday for crush- ing a military coup that tried to topple him, and he urged an immediate halt to the protests that have erupted in Burundi in recent weeks since he decided to seek a third term. Nkurunziza's motor- cade rolled into the cap- ital earlier in the day and he returned to the presidential palace, said his spokesman, Gervais Abayeho. The president did not appear in public. His jubilant supporters cheered his return and the failure of the coup. Maj. Gen. Godefroid Niyom- bare, a former intelligence chief, had announced Wednesday while Nkurun- ziza was in Tanzania that he had relieved the presi- dent of his duties. That triggered fierce fighting in the capital be- tween his forces and those loyal to Nkurunziza. The city was calm but tense Friday, with many busi- nesses closed. Some res- idents who don't support the government emerged from their homes to re- sume protests. Three army generals accused of trying to top- ple Nkurunziza were ar- rested when they were found hiding in a house, while another senior se- curity official was caught at the border while try- ing to flee to Tanzania, Abayeho said. He added that Niyombare remained at large and a manhunt was underway. U.N. officials urged au- thorities to ensure that a campaign of reprisals do not take place against the supporters of the coup and other government opponents in the impov- erished Central African country. In his speech, Nku- runziza thanked "the se- curity and defense forces for the efficiency with which they fought the coup against the demo- cratically elected institu- tions." COUP ATTEMPT Burundi president urges halt to protests Landscape/Fence Steve's Tractor &LandscapeService •FenceBuilding•Landscaping • Trenching • Rototilling • Disking • Mowing • Ridging • Post Hole Digging • Blade Work • Sprinkler Installation • Concrete Work Cont. 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