The Alan Gross case: much talk, no movement

CNN has done the service of drawing out both the Cuban and U.S. governments on their positions on the case of jailed USAID contractor Alan Gross.

Below is video of an interview with Cuban foreign ministry official Josefina Vidal, preceded by some background on the case. 

The Cuban position is that since Gross was working for the U.S. government, there should be a negotiation with the U.S. government to resolve the case. 

The U.S. position, expressed by a State Department spokesman in reaction to that interview, is to “reject the suggestion that this is a matter for negotiation.”

Earlier, Secretary of State Clinton also spoke to CNN about the case, describing Gross as someone who “worked for a development group,” saying he is held “without justification,” and adding that the Cuban legal system stinks. 

The U.S. position, in other words, is to demand his unconditional release.  It’s a position that works politically in the United States, but it’s hard to see how it does anything for Mr. Gross.

Here’s a link to a Spanish-language interview of Ms. Vidal conducted by Claudia Palacios of CNN, and here’s a roundup of all the back-and-forth by CBS News.