Cuban President Raul Castro addressed the nation on Wednesday, reporting to the Cuban people on his phone conservation with US President Barack Obama on Tuesday. Castro reported on the decision of the US government to release the three remaining members of the Cuban five still held in US jails and that Havana was freeing US prisoner Alan Gross, a US spy of Cuban origin, and a group of counter-revolutionary prisoners at the request of Washington. The two countries would be reestablishing diplomatic relations and opening embassies in their respective capitals. The Cuban leader noted, however, that the economic and trade blockade was still in place and must be lifted. Havana, he said, would be proposing concrete measures to Washington to further normalize relations between the two countries and called for removing remaining obstacles. Castro also thanked the Vatican and specifically Pope Francis, together with the Canadian government, for facilitating the negotiations between the US and Cuba. teleSUR
