South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) on Thursday welcomed the decision of U.S. President Barack Obama to release the remaining three of the Cuban Five.

The ANC also commends the Cuban government who in return released Alan Gross, a U.S. citizen who worked as spy, on humanitarian grounds, said Jessie Duarte, ANC Deputy Secretary General.

These acts shows progress and a slight improvement in relations between Cuba and the United States, Duarte said.

The ANC remains committed in solidarity with the Cuban people and further calls on Obama to take a further decisive step in freezing the sanctions against Cuba by lifting long-term economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba, said Duarte.

In October last year, 188 out of 193 countries voted in favour at the United Nations General Assembly for lifting the embargo against Cuba.

The U.S. and Cuba cut ties in 1961, following a quick deterioration that began in 1959, when Fidel Castro first came to power.

The Cuban Five are five Cuban men who were arrested in 1998 and wrongly convicted in 2001 by the U.S. government for allegedly committing espionage and conspiracy against the U.S. government. The other two members had already served out their sentences.

However, the actions of these men had not been directed at the U.S. government but rather infiltrated terrorist organisations in Miami who was planning attacks on Cuba, said Duarte.

Over the past 16 years, the families of the Cuban Five, the Cuban people and its government have left no stone unturned in mobilising the international community to seek the release of the Cuban Five.

All these efforts should be commended and the ANC expresses its gratitude to all that was committed to this now realised objective, Duarte said.

The ANC and the South African government have consistently called for the release of the Cuban Five and the lifting of the trade embargo against Cuba, maintaining that the embargo was punitive in its nature and execution, thus making Cuba's political and trade ties with the rest of the international community difficult.

At the level of the ANC and government, South Africa has used its fraternal relations with Cuba to facilitate dialogue with the U.S. in a series of consultative meetings. Endi

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