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美国议员代表团在哈瓦那会见卡斯特罗 Castro, US Lawmakers Meet in Havana

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20 February, 2013

古巴主席劳尔•卡斯特罗会见了美国议员代表团。这些美国议员们争取一名美国公民获得释放，这名美国人自2009年以来一直被关押在哈瓦那。

古巴政府发表声明说，卡斯特罗与美国民主党参议员利希率领的美国代表团成员讨论了古美两国共同关心的问题。古巴外交部长罗德里格斯也参加了会谈。

美国国会代表团希望古巴当局释放格罗斯。格罗斯由于持有通讯设备而被逮捕，并被判处15年监禁。当时格罗斯作为美国国务院一个项目的承包人在古巴工作。

利希去年曾率领一个类似的代表团访问古巴，并会见了卡斯特罗和格罗斯。

哈瓦那曾经提出，用释放格罗斯交换上世纪90年代在美国被逮捕的五名古巴间谍，他们正在美国服长期的刑期。但华盛顿方面拒绝这种囚犯的交换。

Cuban President Raul Castro met with a group of U.S. lawmakers seeking the release of an American citizen who has been detained in Havana since 2009.

A statement by the Cuban government says Mr. Castro and the U.S. delegation, led by Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, discussed "issues of interest for both countries." Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez also attended the meeting.

The congressional delegation wants Cuban authorities to free Alan Gross, who was sentenced to 15-years in prison after he was arrested for possessing communications equipment. Gross was in Cuba working as a contractor for a U.S. State Department program.

Leahy led a similar delegation to Cuba last year, where he met with Mr. Castro and Gross. 

Havana has offered to release Gross in exchange for five Cuban spies captured in the U.S. in 1990s and serving lengthy jail sentences. But Washington has ruled out any such prisoner swap.