CNN. March 24
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Behind-the-scenes talks in the Elian Gonzalez case are taking place, but U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno declined to say Thursday if any compromise efforts in the custody fight are being considered.
Reiterating her belief that the 6-year-old boy should be reunited with his father in Cuba -- as ordered by U.S. immigration officials and reaffirmed this week by a federal judge -- Reno said the Justice Department continued to seek an "orderly, prompt and fair" solution.
She would not comment further, and would not say whether the department had a target date for returning Elian. "What I want to do is try to work it out, and we're going to try to do that in the right way," Reno told reporters in Washington. 346K/30 sec. AIFF or WAV sound
In a ruling that is being appealed by Elian's relatives in Miami, U.S. District Judge Michael Moore on Tuesday essentially upheld the government's decision to send the boy back to Cuba.
Reno, asked if that decision had activated contacts between her department and Elian's family, would not reveal specifics. "They are represented by counsel and we will continue our discussion with counsel, " she said.
The two sides are talking
CNN has learned, however, that government officials and lawyers for the family have been quietly seeking to settle the dispute in a way that would avoid traumatizing the boy or provoking a confrontation with Miami's Cuban exile community.
The most recent meeting was Wednesday in Miami, where government representatives sat down with attorneys for Elian's U.S. relatives.
While the family's lawyers asked that the appeals process be allowed to play out before Washington tries to reunite father and son, sources said the federal government was noncommittal. Sources characterized the meeting as "an open exchange" without rancor.
Such "dialogue," as it was termed, has been going for weeks, sources told CNN.
An attempt at mediation by Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-New Jersey, collapsed earlier this month when the federal government rejected a proposal from the legal team representing Elian's relatives.
The deal called for the family to drop some of its legal claims in exchange for an asylum hearing for Elian. The offer was turned down by the Justice Department, Torricelli's office said.
Reunion 'inevitable'
After meeting with Reno on Wednesday night, the U.S. lawyer representing Elian's father told CNN it was "inevitable" that Juan Miguel Gonzalez would be reunited with his son. But the attorney, Greg Craig, said he didn't know how much longer it would take. 225K/20 sec. AIFF or WAV
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Craig spent an hour with the attorney general and Immigration and Naturalization Service Commissioner Doris Meissner in a closed-door session at the Justice Department.
Elian's father would come to the United States "in a moment's notice" if he had assurances from Elian's relatives or from the U.S. government that the boy would be handed over to him, Craig told CNN.
Elian has been the subject of controversy since he was found clinging to an inner tube off Florida on November 25. His mother and 10 others drowned when their boat capsized during an attempt to reach the United States.
Elian was one of three survivors. The boy has several relatives who live in Cuba. His parents were divorced.
The case has become a tug-of-war between the Cuban government and U.S. family members who oppose the Cuban government's Communist ideology and want to raise the boy.
Correspondent Susan Candiotti contributed to this report.
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