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                    Elated Gross Speaks About Prison Release

   by VOA News

   After flying home for Havana on a United States government plane, a
   visibly weary but elated, newly-freed Alan Gross thanked all those who
   worked tirelessly for his release from a Cuban jail Wednesday.

   "Your prayers and actions have been comforting, reassuring and
   sustaining," Gross said during a press conference at his attorney's
   office in Washington.

   "I guess so far it's the best Hanukkah that I'll be celebrating and
   probably will be for a long time," he added, marking first day of the
   Jewish holiday. "What a blessing it is to be a citizen of this
   country."

   He then expressed thanks to President Barack Obama, his wife, Judy
   Gross, his personal attorney Scott Gilbert and members of Congress who
   helped to secure his release. Gross touched down on American soil at
   Joint Base Andrews in Maryland accompanied by his wife, his attorney,
   and U.S. Senators Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Rep.
   Chris Van Hollen (D-Md).

   Now 65, Gross had been arrested by Cuba on December 3, 2009. The U.S.
   Agency for International Development (USAID) subcontractor was later
   convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison for importing banned
   technology and trying to establish clandestine Internet service for
   Cuban Jews.

   Just hours after Cuba's communist leaders agreed to his release, the
   [1]Obama administration announced a major shift in relations with the
   Caribbean island-nation, unveiling plans to restore full diplomacy and
   establish an embassy in Havana.

   Gross, who received a telephone call from the president while flying
   home, told reporters he hopes both countries can get beyond "mutually
   belligerent" government policies.

   Talks for Gross' release lasted for about a year, with the Vatican
   playing a significant role, Senior Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of
   Illinois said Wednesday. During the press conference, Gross also
   expressed gratitude to Washington's Jewish community, along with a
   range of Christian and Muslim organizations nationwide that advocated
   his release.

   In addition to the release of Gross, three Cubans were freed from a
   U.S. jail. As a part of the exchange, Cuban authorities also released a
   U.S. intelligence official who had been jailed in Cuba for two decades.
   U.S. officials have not named the spy, but said he was active at least
   three case involving Cuban espionage.
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   [2]http://www.voanews.com/content/elated-alan-gross-speaks-about-prison
   -release/2563035.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-cuba-releases-american-alan-gross/2562509.html
   2. http://www.voanews.com/content/elated-alan-gross-speaks-about-prison-release/2563035.html