Cuban President Raul Castro has suggested he would release political
prisoners as a "gesture" with the US.
Speaking during a trip to Brazil, Mr Castro said: "Let's do gesture for
gesture," essentially a call for the US to release five Cubans in its
custody.
The five were convicted in 2001 for spying on Cuban exiles, but are
considered heroes in Cuba.
US President-elect Barack Obama has said some restrictions on Cuba could
be eased after he takes over in January.
Mr Obama has said that he would lift restrictions on family travel and
remittances to Cuba, but maintain the US trade embargo to press for
changes in the Communist-run country.
Cuba has survived more than four decades of US sanctions against the
communist government led by Fidel Castro and, since February, by his
brother Raul.
Prisoner exchange
The US has called on Cuba to release political prisoners. Cuba is
thought to keep more than 200 dissidents behind bars on account of their
political views.
Mr Castro, referring to those prisoners, said to reporters: "These
prisoners you talk about - they want us to let them go? They should tell
us tomorrow.
"We'll send them with their families and everything. Give us back our
five heroes. That is a gesture on both parts."
In June a US appeal court upheld the convictions of the five Cubans, but
said the sentences of three of them should be reconsidered.
Convicted in 2001, three were given life terms while the other two are
spending 15 and 19 years in jail.
The men are considered national heroes in Cuba, where they figure
prominently on billboards all over the country and are the subject of
regular rallies and demonstrations.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/7790926.stm
Published: 2008/12/18 20:47:19 GMT
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