The United States has expressed satisfaction at the improved cooperation with Cuba aimed at preventing Cuban immigrants from sailing to the US mainland.

A senior State Department official, John Hamilton, said although there was room for improvement, progress had been made.

Mr Hamilton was speaking after a meeting with Cuban officials in Havana, the tenth round of discussions since the two countries signed accords in 1994 and 1995 to stem a mass exodus of Cubans.

But he warned that a new problem was posed by professional traffickers who use high-speed boats to bring Cubans into the US.

He said the US and Cuban authorities were sharing information on a regular basis to catch the smugglers.