A Cuban boat hijacked December 6 by six persons with the purpose of illegally emigrating to the United States was returned Thursday to the island authorities.

The US Coast Guard Service returned the craft with the six hijackers and two workers of the yacht taken hostage to the Cuban border safeguarding troops in the port of Orozco in the Bay of Cabanas in the Pinar del Rio province.

The six kidnappers, all of them from the western province of Matanzas, were identified as Juan Junior Padron Sanchez, 21 years of age, Alexis Borges Silva (26), Misael Mena Hernandez 19), Leivy Herrera Garcia (18), Leonardo Milian Rodriguez (18), Juana Maria Nieves Mena (21).

The US authorities decided Wednesday to return the boat with the six hijackers and the two kidnapped crew members, an action called positive by Ricardo Alarcon, President of the Cuban National Assembly.

The migratory theme has flared again between the two countries in the last days, because two cases of illegal emigration of Cubans toward the United States have occurred in less than two weeks.

Cuba and the United States will start Monday a new round of talks to examine the compliance with the Migratory Agreements signed in 1994, which foresee the issue of 20,000 visas of entrance for Cubans to the United States every year. (Xinhua)