¡¡¡¡HAVANA, February 18 (Xinhuanet) -- The fifth forum of Cuba-U.S. Sister Cities opened on Monday at the Conventions Palace in Havana, where 120 delegates from 25 Cuban cities and 17 U.S. states were to discuss relations between their cities.

¡¡¡¡President of the Cuban Congress Ricardo Alarcon welcomed the delegates to the forum, which was chaired by Vice Foreign MinisterFernando Ramirez de Estenoz.

¡¡¡¡The agenda includes debate on the development of relations between U.S. states and Cuban provinces, the making of sister cities, projects of common benefit, people-to-people exchanges andprocedures to achieve these purposes.

¡¡¡¡The participants will visit the Latin American School of Medical Sciences, where some 30 U.S. citizens are studying with over 5,000 students from Latin America, Africa and Asia. There will also be a visit to the Social Work School in Havana.

¡¡¡¡The Association of Cuba-U.S. Sister Cities was founded in 1998,five years after the cities of Havana and Mobile, Alabama, agreed on direct links.

¡¡¡¡Direct ties were also established between Pittsburgh-Matanzas, Bloomington-Santa Clara, Richmond-Regla, Oakland-Santiago and Madison-Camaguey.

¡¡¡¡The ties between these cities have been kept despite the economic, financial and trade blockade imposed on Cuba by U.S. federal authorities.

¡¡¡¡The blockade bans U.S. citizens from visiting the island without permission from the U.S. State Department, while the Treasury Department prevents them from spending money on Cuban territory.

¡¡¡¡The forum coincides with the third Labor Attorney Meeting in Havana. Participating experts from both countries will visit work centers in Sancti Spiritus and Cienfuegos provinces, as well as Matanzas in the west of the country. Enditem