By The Daily Journalist.
Raul Castro: Cuban leader.
While President Barack Obama announced the details of a historic change in relations between the US and Cuba. In Havana President Raul Castro has confirmed the restoration of diplomatic relations after the release of US contractor Alan Grossand. The story was revealed on Tuesday, who spoke personally with the US leader an unprecedented gesture in 56 years of Castro’s dictatorship.
“We have held talks at the highest level, including a telephone conversation with President Barack Obama to discuss matters of interest between the two countries,”Castro said in a televised message.
Both leaders agreed to release Gross in exchange for three Cubans serving sentences in the United States since 1998 on charges of espionage. Both Gross as the three Cubans, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino and Antonio Guerrero, are already safe on their respective countries.
Castro recalled that his country often expressed the political will to hold talks with the US to resolve mutual differences “in a respectful dialogue and sovereignty” and “without giving up any of our principles.”
“As once Fidel (Castro) said, the three heroes return to the motherland. Well today they arrived in our country Gerardo, Ramón and Antonio” he said while acknowledged the gesture of Obama’s releases. “This decision by the president deserves respect and recognition of our people,” he added.
The Cuban president has not revealed how evolved the talks that led to this exchange of prisoners came about. Castro has revealed that Gross did not travel alone, but was accompanied by a “Cuban citizen” who spied for the United States, although he did not reveal his name.
Sources aware of the return have assured thanks to a highly rank former intelligence Cuban officer the revealing identity of Ana Belen Montes, the principal analyst at the Pentagon Cuban themes agent. Montes was arrested shortly after the attacks of September 11, 2001. She now meets 25 years in prison.
In addition, Cuba also agreed to release 30 political prisoners by the United States that “expressed interest”. On the other hand, thanked the support of the Vatican and Pope Francis “to improve relations between Cuba and the United States” and the Government of Canada.
Castro has not made direct references to plans that President Obama has announced in the direction of normalizing trade ties, such as local banks between the two countries, the use of US credit cards in the communist island and the increase in the number of licenses for Americans to travel freely to Cuba.
However, he referred to the topic in general and very politically oriented manner. “The embargo must end. The US president can modify his application to use his executive powers. We have proposed to the US government to take mutual steps to normalize ties between our based on the principles of international law countries and the letter UN “stressed to Castro.
He has also promised that it will collaborate with its northern neighbor in the framework of multilateral organizations including the United Nations. “I urge the United States to remove obstacles that restrict the links between our people, families and citizens of both countries, including direct flights and also direct postal links”suspended seven years ago, he emphasized.
This is possible, he said, because “the contacts show that it is possible to find a solution to many problems. We must learn the art of living ina civilized manner with our differences,” concluded the president, with the promise that he will address a publicly discourse “soon.”
