EU says ready to explore thaw in ties with Cuba

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union said on Tuesday it was ready to seek ways to relaunch ties with Cuba that were largely frozen under Fidel Castro, after the 81-year-old revolutionary leader announced his retirement.

"We reiterate our willingness to engage with Cuba in a constructive dialogue," John Clancy, a spokesman for EU Aid Commissioner Louis Michel, told a regular news briefing, noting that Michel planned to visit the island on March 6-7.

A spokeswoman for EU president Slovenia said the 27-member bloc remained willing "to sound out possibilities to resume a political dialogue" with Havana.

Relations between the EU and Cuba soured in 2003 when Brussels froze diplomatic contacts after Havana arrested 75 dissidents, many of whom had been invited to national day receptions at European embassies.

The EU held exploratory talks with Cuba in September on resuming closer ties and agreed on a meeting early this year ahead of a May 16-17 EU-Latin America summit.

Clancy said the EU's objectives were to encourage peaceful transition to a pluralist democracy, respect for human rights and an improvement in the living standards of the Cuban people.

In a statement, Michel also expressed satisfaction with Cuba's decision to release a number of political prisoners on humanitarian grounds.

"This important unilateral decision, together with the recent announcement by the Cuban Government to sign the International Covenants on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights and on Civil and Political Rights are positive steps that deserve being acknowledged," Michel's statement said.

Four Cuban dissidents who had been imprisoned since 2003, arrived in Madrid on Sunday after being freed by Castro's government in a deal negotiated with Spain.