The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
August 27, 2010

In Cuba, Richardson Claims Progress on Jailed US Contractor
-----------------------------------------------------------



New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson says he’s made progress in talks
with Cuban officials on released a jailed US contractor. The contractor,
Alan Gross, was arrested in December on suspicion of being a US spy
after handing out equipment to Cuban opposition groups. Speaking in
Havana, Richardson rejected linking Gross’s case to the jailing of the
Cuban Five, who are serving lengthy sentences in the US for trying to
monitor violent right-wing Cuban exile groups responsible for attacks
inside Cuba.

Bill Richardson: "The Obama administration asked me to raise at the
highest levels the case of Alan Gross, and I’ve done so with several
officials. I’ve been informed by the Cuban government that the Gross
case is at a very sensitive investigatory and legal process. I do
believe, as I want to emphasize, that I’ve made inroads on this case. I
believe that the two cases of the Cuban Five and the Gross case are
separate, and I believe both countries are treating them separately."