A ministry spokesman said Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton told her Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos in a phone
conversation that the US would be prepared to accept dissidents so long as the
transfer did not break any laws.
The spokesman said Clinton had congratulated Moratinos
for Spain's joint effort with the Roman Catholic church to arrange the release
of dissidents arrested in a March 2003 crackdown.
"(Clinton) expressed to Moratinos the willingness of
the United States to take in political prisoners provided it complies with
current US norms," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
Some 75 dissidents were arrested in 2003 and sentenced to
lengthy prison terms on charges that included treason.
In a landmark deal after talks with the church and Spain,
Cuba agreed on July 7 to release 52 prisoners still being held.
Spain has so far accepted 25 Cuban dissidents, but some
have refused release, saying they will only go to the US.
Katherine Ortiz, a spokeswoman for the US Embassy in
Madrid, said she had no details on the matter, adding that the Department of
Homeland Security normally assesses the status of such negotiations.
All the dissidents released so far have agreed to leave
Cuba for Spain; one later settled in Chile.
The ministry spokesman said that Clinton had also briefed
Moratinos on Mideast talks to take place on Sept. 2 in Washington between
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators.
The spokesman spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping
with government policy.
The US and the European Union have long pressed Havana to
free political prisoners, improve human rights and move toward democracy.
Most political prisoners freed previously have left Cuba
and gone to the United States or Spain to live.
