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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Video Save Email Print Reprints Most Popular Most Shared Tired Gay succumbs to Dix in 200 meters 03 Jul 2010 Democratic senator's lead shrinks in California: poll 08 Jul 2010 California transit cop verdict sparks looting 2:32am EDT North American concert sales plunge in first half 08 Jul 2010 UPDATE 1-US 30-yr mortgage rate drops to new record low 08 Jul 2010 Viagra-popping seniors lead the pack for STDs 06 Jul 2010 Netanyahu bodyguards' guns go missing on U.S. visit | Video 07 Jul 2010 Germans shell-shocked by oracle octopus 06 Jul 2010 LeBron James joins the Heat in search of elusive title 12:17am EDT BP slows Alaska offshore oil drill plan 08 Jul 2010 Tired Gay succumbs to Dix in 200 meters 03 Jul 2010 Viagra-popping seniors lead the pack for STDs 06 Jul 2010 Democratic senator's lead shrinks in California: poll 08 Jul 2010 California transit cop verdict sparks looting 2:32am EDT Aircraft completes first solar-powered night flight | Video 08 Jul 2010 Netanyahu bodyguards' guns go missing on U.S. visit | Video 07 Jul 2010 Double dip fears sends investors to cash: EPFR 08 Jul 2010 BP slows Alaska offshore oil drill plan 08 Jul 2010 Analysis: Money managers see no double-dip 08 Jul 2010 Google's Schmidt undaunted by Apple or Facebook 08 Jul 2010 Cuba takes first steps toward prisoner release Digg This Tweet This Share on LinkedIn Share on Facebook Factbox Factbox: Dissident Guillermo Farinas ends hunger strike Thu, Jul 8 2010 Related News Cuban dissident said to have ended hunger strike Thu, Jul 8 2010 Clinton says Cuba prisoner release a positive sign Thu, Jul 8 2010 Special Report: In Irish schools, Catholic Church remains master Thu, Jul 8 2010 Church says Cuba to free 52 political prisoners Wed, Jul 7 2010 Related Topics World » Related Video Clinton welcomes Cuba prisoner deal Thu, Jul 8 2010 By Jeff Franks HAVANA | Thu Jul 8, 2010 8:28pm EDT HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba took the first steps toward releasing 52 political prisoners as the island's Catholic Church on Thursday notified five they would be freed soon in a deal struck with the Cuban government that drew praise from Washington. The planned release prompted dissident Guillermo Farinas to end his 4-1/2-month-long hunger strike, sweeping aside a thorny issue that threatened Cuba's international relations. The Church, asserting its new prominence in communist-led Cuba, said the five prisoners would be set free "in coming days" and allowed to go to Spain. The other 47 are to be released over the next three to four months, the Church said. All 52 prisoners are those still in jail from 75 arrested in a 2003 government crackdown that provoked wide condemnation of Cuba's human rights. The prisoner release, first announced on Wednesday by the Church, raised hopes of improved relations with Europe and the United States and perhaps a shift in Cuba's policies toward dissidents. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed the news. "We were encouraged by the apparent agreement between the Roman Catholic Church and the authorities in Cuba for the release of 52 political prisoners," she told reporters. "We think that's a positive sign. It's something that is overdue but nevertheless very welcome." Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, who came to Cuba this week to participate in church-state talks, said on Wednesday he expected the release could lead to better relations with the European Union. DIALOGUE BETTER THAN CONFRONTATION He has pushed for the 27-nation bloc to amend its common position emphasizing improved human rights and democracy before fully normalizing relations with the communist-led island and said the prisoner deal showed that dialogue was better than confrontation. The Cuban government has not made an official statement about the prisoners, but the church's statement was published in Communist Party newspaper Granma. There were mixed signals on whether the prisoners, once free, will have the option of staying in Cuba. Spanish media reported that Moratinos said they would all go to Spain, then be allowed to go to other countries. Cardinal Jaime Ortega, the leader of the Church in Cuba, told reporters on Wednesday the prisoners would go abroad after release "if they want to go." "It's a proposal made to them," he said. Many prisoners have said previously they refuse to leave Cuba. The path to the planned release began on February 23, when dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo died in a hunger strike for improved prison conditions. His death prompted international condemnation of Cuba, which subsequently slightly relaxed its policies toward dissidents and began a dialogue with the Catholic Church. President Raul Castro is struggling to pull Cuba out of a deep financial crisis and is said to want to end the political prisoner issue that has long complicated the island's exterior relations. The government views dissidents as being in the pay of the United States to undermine the communist system. Farinas, a 48-year-old psychologist and writer, added to Cuba's woes by launching his hunger strike on February 24, demanding the release of ailing political prisoners who are included in the 52 to be freed. After meeting with fellow dissidents from his hospital bed in the central city Santa Clara, he issued a statement saying he was "postponing" his strike, in its 135th day, but would resume if the government does not fulfill its pledge to release the prisoners. He has been kept alive by intravenous feeding, but in recent days was said to be near death. Despite Clinton's praise for the release, and the importance the United States has placed on freeing political prisoners, it was not clear how much it would help long-troubled U.S.-Cuba relations. Efforts by President Barack Obama to temper hostilities, including a slight easing of the 48-year-old U.S. trade embargo against the island, have been sidetracked by Cuba's detention of U.S. contractor Alan Gross on suspicions of espionage. The U.S. maintains that Gross, held since December, was only providing Internet access to Jewish groups and has said no significant steps toward Cuba will occur until he is free. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the government was still "very focused" on Gross' welfare. "We're going to continue using every diplomatic channel available to remind them this is a matter of great importance to us and we continue to call on his immediate release," he said. (Additional reporting by Nelson Acosta in Santa Clara, Rosa Tania Valdes in Havana and Andrew Quinn in Washington; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) World Add a Comment *We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language or appear to be spam and review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Analyst Research Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Labs Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. 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