Conference of Presidents Seeks Meeting with Cuban Ambassador to UN to Urge Release of Alan Gross

New York, July 15, 2010 … The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations has requested a meeting with the Cuban Ambassador to the UN Pedro Nunez Mosquera to discuss the plight of Alan P. Gross, who has been held in a Cuban jail since December 3, 2009. The Conference also addressed this issue in a letter to President Barack Obama.

“It is outrageous that Mr. Gross, who was clearly not engaged in espionage or inappropriate activities would be imprisoned for seven months with no charge. He was in Cuba as a US Agency for International Development subcontractor working on a U.S. government program to help the local Jewish community stay in contact with each other and with similar groups abroad. We have been approaching intermediaries to urge Mr. Gross’ immediate release. We hope Ambassador Nunez Mosquera will meet with us and convey our concerns about Mr. Gross’ improper imprisonment and his failing health to the Cuban government,” said Conference of Presidents Chairman Alan Solow and Executive Vice Chairman Malcolm Hoenlein.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has repeatedly called upon Cuba to release Gross, stating that his continued detention is harming U.S.-Cuba relations. Solow and Hoenlein voiced appreciation for the work of the Administration and the State Department to secure Mr. Gross’ release and expressed hope that Cuba will recognize that “Mr. Gross is not a man who is motivated by politics, nor by any agenda other than providing humanitarian support to people in need.”