MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“Still much to do for Cuba”, say released political prisoners

The four Cuban political prisoners released by the regime of interim president Raul Castro arrived Sunday in Spain “full of enthusiasm” and committed to keep battling for the more than fifty others whom remain in Cuban dungeons.

The four opponents of the Cuban system were accompanied by 13 family members, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said. Speaking to the Spanish press Jose Gabriel Ramon Castillo said they and their families were fine and "full of enthusiasm and energy" adding that "there's still much to do for Cuba". Castillo was released together with Alejandro González Raga, Omar Pernet and Pedro Pablo Alvarez and flown to Spain with their families. Two of them are reporters one is a union leader and the other belonged to a prisoner aid organization. Their release was a humanitarian gesture by the government in Havana, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said. According to Havana sources Cuba was to release three more political prisoners but no details about the group to be released were disclosed. The four political prisoners now in Spain, belong to the so-called Group of 75 that were arrested during a crackdown in spring 2003 and convicted up to 28 years of jail for being "mercenaries in the pay of the United States" and anti revolutionaries. "We're satisfied and hopeful that in the coming days we'll find ways to contribute to the liberation of the over fifty conscience prisoners which remain in Cuba and of others who did not belong to our group but are also conscience prisoners", added Castillo. "We never imagined the repercussion of the release and that Spain has given us the possibility of political asylum", admitted Castillo who said he still was overcoming events, "so much happened in the last 24 hours, we were released, given passports and taken to Havana to join our families". According to Spanish national radio, Madrid had lobbied for their release which was discussed between Cuban and Spanish diplomats during a meeting in Madrid last weekend. Human rights groups have the names of an estimated 300 political prisoners from Cuba. The release however is being seen by Western diplomatic sources in Cuba as a positive move by acting President Raul Castro, whose brother Fidel Castro underwent emergency surgery 18 months ago. "The decision was made unilaterally by the Cuban authorities and we are very satisfied," said Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos. There has been no official comment on the release by the Cuban authorities Meanwhile it was revealed that United States suppliers sold 437.5 million US dollars in food to Cuba in 2007, a new peak in value despite Cuban complaints that the Bush administration is hindering trade. The main items were corn, chicken, wheat, soybean products and rice, according to the New York-based U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, which monitors trade with Cuba. Sales of agricultural products to Cuba, allowed under an exception to the U.S. embargo placed on Fidel Castro's government back in 1962, had fallen to 340.4 million in 2006 in a two-year decline. Cuba's food import agency Alimport blamed restrictions introduced by the Bush administration, such as demanding Cuban payment prior to shipment, for causing U.S. sales to fall from a 2004 peak. Alimport president Pedro Alvarez said the increased value of Cuban purchases last year reflect higher world food prices, not greater volume, and said trade with United States is flat. Still, the fact is that the United States has remained Cuba's main supplier of food and farm products, with sales totaling 1.99 billion US dollars since they began in 2001.