U.S. says American citizen detained in Cuba

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Saturday that an American citizen was detained in Cuba and the U.S. government was seeking access to him.

The man was identified by The New York Times as a U.S. development worker on contract with the U.S. government who was distributing communications equipment in Cuba including cellphones and laptops.

State Department spokeswoman Megan Mattson said she could not give any details of the case, including the man's name or what he was doing in Cuba. She said he was detained on December 5.

She said he was not a U.S. government employee.

"The U.S. Interests Section in Havana has requested consular access to meet with the American citizen as soon as possible," Mattson said.

She said the Interests Section was also seeking information from the Cuban government about the circumstances of the arrest and where he was being held.

Citing unnamed American officials, the New York Times reported on Saturday that the unidentified contractor works for Development Alternatives Inc, a development group based in Bethesda, Maryland, a Washington suburb.

The man entered Cuba on a tourist visa without proper documents, the newspaper reported.

The incident comes as the Obama administration moves to improve relations between the United States and Cuba, hostile since a 1959 revolution put Fidel Castro in power and led to Cuba's transformation into a communist state.

Since taking office, President Barack Obama has removed limits on Cuban-Americans traveling and sending remittances to the island, just 90 miles off the U.S. coast. Congress is considering lifting a ban on U.S. travel to Cuba.

But Obama has said Cuba must free political prisoners and improve human rights before a 47-year-old trade embargo against Cuba can end.

Last month, a human rights watchdog group said Cuba's government continues to repress critics and detain political prisoners.

(Reporting by Deborah Charles and Roberta Rampton; editing by Mohammad Zargham)