Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Navigation
Primary Navigation
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Secondary Navigation
Africa
Europe
Latin America
Middle East
North America
Search
Search:
Castro offers to exchange dissidents for 'Cuban 5'
By MARCO SIBAJA,Associated Press Writer AP - Friday, December 19
BRASILIA, Brazil - Cuban President Raul Castro made an unprecedented offer Thursday to exchange political dissidents jailed in his country for five Cubans imprisoned in the U.S. for espionage.
Castro, on his first official visit to Brazil, also reiterated Cuba's willingness to discuss the United States' 46-year-old economic embargo with incoming President Barack Obama.
Answering a reporter's question about political prisoners in Cuba, Castro said he would consider releasing some as a gesture to opening talks with the new administration.
But he said the U.S. would need to reciprocate.
"Let's make a gesture for a gesture," said Castro, who took over in February from his ailing brother, Fidel. "We will send those prisoners you talk about (to the United States) with their families. But give us back our five heroes."
The Cuban president referred to the so-called "Cuban Five," who were convicted in 2001 on espionage charges and are lionized in Cuba as heroes. Cuban exile groups in the U.S. say they were justly punished.
U.S. President George W. Bush has taken a hard line against Cuba and would not consider such a trade. State Department spokeswoman Heidi Bronke said the jailed dissidents should be released immediately without conditions.
"The issue of political prisoners in Cuba who are being held against their will for peaceful protests is independent of the case of the five Cubans that have been tried and convicted," she said.
Obama has never discussed releasing prisoners and has said he will keep the embargo as leverage until Cuba shows "significant steps toward democracy," starting with freedom for approximately 219 jailed political dissidents.
But he has shown more openness toward the communist island. Obama promised during the campaign that immediately after taking office on Jan. 20, he will lift all restrictions on family travel and cash remittances to Cuba _ not just roll them back to previous rules that were tightened by the Bush administration.
The five arrested in 1998 acknowledged being Cuban agents but said they were not spying on the United States. They said their focus was on U.S.-based exile groups planning "terrorist" actions against the Castro government.
Email Story
IM Story
Printable View
Blog This
Recommend this article
Average (0 votes)
Sign in to recommend this article »
Most Recommended Stories »
Related Articles: World
Cheney claims power to decide his public recordsAP - 20 minutes ago
Brazil to boost troops in Amazon, weapons industryAP - 24 minutes ago
Argentine 'dirty war' suspects ordered releasedAP - 29 minutes ago
New ban imposed on regulating global warming gasesAP - 29 minutes ago
Arkansas family welcomes 18th child, a girlAP - 37 minutes ago
Most Popular – World
Viewed
Actress Jennifer Aniston appears naked in GQ magazine
'Dark energy' expands, contracts universe: researchers
US doctors hail near-total face transplant
Dollar dives to 13-year low against yen after Fed cut
Chrysler halts manufacturing as clock ticks on gov't bailout
View Complete List »
Search:
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular