Thursday, June 3, 1999; 3:27 a.m. EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States and Cuba are pledging to take steps to end organized smuggling of Cuban aliens into the United States.

The commitments were made Wednesday during another in a series of talks between the two countries on migration issues.

``We reviewed our law enforcement efforts to put a stop to this form of criminal activity for profit, which needlessly exposes men, women and children to loss of life or serious injury despite the fact that ample alternative means of safe, orderly and legal migration clearly exist,'' State Department spokesman James P. Rubin said.

He added that both sides expressed the commitment to enforce their laws to put a stop to this ``dangerous and totally unnecessary practice.''

Smugglers who operate fast boats have been charging $8,000 per person to take undocumented Cubans to Key West, Fla., from Cuba.

The U.S. side in the New York talks was led by John Hamilton, a top official in the State Department's Western Hemisphere affairs bureau. Heading the Cuban side was National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcon.