The Cuban government said Tuesday it is considering a "humanitarian" move that would release jailed U.S. contractor Alan Gross in exchange for a "reciprocal" move to free five Cubans held in the United States on spy charges.
"It's fair to say that the Cuban government has engaged the U.S. government on its willingness to find a humanitarian solution to the case of Mr. Alan Gross on a reciprocal humanitarian basis," said a Cuban diplomat in Washington, in a letter published on the Cuban Foreign Ministry website.
The letter from Juan Lamigueiro of the Cuban interests section in Washington which represents Havana, responded to a U.S. newspaper editorial that claimed the 62-year-old Gross was imprisoned for carrying out "humanitarian work" in Cuba's Jewish community.
Gross was found guilty last March of "acts against the independence or territorial integrity" of Cuba and sentenced to 15 years in prison for delivering laptops and communications equipment to Cuba's small Jewish community under a State Department contract.
Washington has repeatedly called for his release, and has noted his worsening health problems. U.S. visitors have reported Gross has lost considerable weight since he was imprisoned two years ago, and suffers from several medical conditions.
The Cuban diplomat appeared to be suggesting Gross may be released in exchange for the freedom of five Cubans arrested in 1998 in the United States and sentenced to lengthy prison terms, a deal to which Havana has alluded in the past.
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