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(Bloomberg) -- As U.S. and Cuban diplomats met to begin restoring diplomatic ties after five decades, Havanas residents followed the developments with a fervor normally reserved for a Papal visit or a sporting championship.

Cuban media aired and rebroadcast briefings throughout the two days of negotiations, a rarity in a society where the press is state-run and people often get news from relatives or friends. While U.S. and Cuban officials said differences between their governments remain profound, participants from both sides smiled broadly for the public and said the talks were productive.

Clara Gonzalez Perez, a 56-year-old nurse, said she gathered around the TV with family for two days to get every bit of information about la apertura, or the opening, between the nations.

Theres not a baseball game that people here would watch with as much excitement as for these talks.

Clara Gonzalez Perez

Theres not a baseball game that people here would watch with as much excitement as for these talks, Perez said. Shes so enthusiastic she said she began hugging Americans visiting as part of cultural tour groups in the streets, saying, I love Obama! We love America!

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson, the highest-ranking diplomat to visit Havana since Jimmy Carters presidency, cautioned that the two sides need to overcome more than 50 years of a relationship that was not based on confidence or trust. She said it isnt clear Cuba is ready to move as fast as the U.S. in loosening economic restrictions.

What Cuba is looking for, first and foremost, is new economic activity, said Ted Piccone, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. The U.S. economy, the largest in the world, is right next door and really important to their economic future. But they want to do it in a controlled way on their terms.

Even winning Senate confirmation for an ambassador could prove difficult for U.S. President Barack Obama. Cuban-American members of Congress, including Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey, have assailed Obamas Dec. 17 move to reestablish ties, signaling a battle with Congress over the half-century-old embargo.

That uncertainly didnt damp the excitement among many Havana residents.

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