Envoy’s Return to Havana Halts Cuban Refugee Talks : Migration: Official leaves unexpectedly for consultations with Castro. U.S. remains optimistic, but delay indicates that negotiators remain divided.

The talks over ending the exodus of Cuban rafters sputtered to a halt Wednesday--at least for now--as Cuban negotiator Ricardo Alarcon returned to Havana to consult with President Fidel Castro.

Although Clinton Administration officials described the talks as “reasonably on track,” a White House official acknowledged that the return of Alarcon, a former foreign minister, to Havana may reflect “a wavering on Castro’s part as to whether he wants to take this deal or not.”

Secretary of State Warren Christopher treated the departure optimistically by calling it a “brief interruption” in talks that are “continuing to be useful.”

Describing the negotiations as “productive, useful, business-like,” Christopher told reporters in Washington: “The fact that he’s going to be returning very promptly--he’s leaving his delegation here--is an indication that this is not by any means a breakdown in the talks but it’s part of the useful talks that are taking place.”

But the surprise departure of Alarcon, who had led his delegation in six rounds of talks during the last week, indicated that the gap between the positions of the two countries is so great that the Cuban negotiators are unable to bridge it without a personal appeal to Castro.

The delay also will give the U.S. negotiators, led by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Michael Skol, a chance to return to Washington to see if there is more elasticity in the Clinton Administration position.

State Department spokesman David Johnson told reporters outside the U.S. mission to the United Nations, where Alarcon met with Skol for 45 minutes, that the talks would resume perhaps “as early as Friday.” U.S. officials acknowledged, however, that a resumption that early is not likely.

The latest leaked reports about the secret talks, which began a week ago, indicate that the Cubans may be close to accepting the latest U.S. offer to guarantee at least 27,000 visas a year if Castro’s authorities stop Cubans from taking to the seas in an illegal dash for an American haven.

But another significant impasse evidently has developed over President Clinton’s insistence that the talks focus on immigration only. The Cubans reportedly want the agreement to include a lifting of the sanctions that Clinton imposed in mid-July as punishment for allowing the exodus. Skol, while refusing to include this in the agreement, is understood to have promised a lifting of these sanctions later if the Cubans sign the agreement on immigration.

These sanctions included a halt to Cuban Americans sending money to their relatives in Cuba and a drastic reduction in the number of flights between Miami and Havana.

The Cubans also want the United States to promise to convene talks on the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, which in their view is the root cause of the exodus.

The White House official said that Clinton can ease the embargo only if Cuba demonstrates it has taken steps toward democracy.

The U.S.-Cuban talks were prompted by the exodus and President Clinton’s decision last month to change policy and refuse automatic entry to Cubans seeking admission to the United States.

State Department spokesman Mike McCurry told reporters there were indications that the exodus is slowing down. “The numbers are down,” McCurry said at a briefing. “That is encouraging to us. It is entirely possible that Cubans are beginning to understand that they will not be taken to the United States as a result of going out to the high seas and that they do have the option and the availability of our in-country facility at the interest section in Havana.”

The Coast Guard reported that it picked up 1,179 rafters on Sunday, 1,129 on Monday and 689 on Tuesday. By 10 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, 990 had been picked up. At its height, the Coast Guard picked up as many as 3,000 rafters in a single day.

Meisler reported from New York and McManus reported from Washington.