Obama Says He Has Not Handed Over Dissidents' List to Castro

Obama Says He Has Not Handed Over Dissidents' List to Castro
By ENJOLI FRANCIS Mar 21, 2016, 5:45 PM ET

President Barack Obama told ABC News anchor David Muir in an exclusive
interview today in Havana, Cuba, that he had not yet given President
Raúl Castro a list of dissidents, which the Cuban leader seemed to
request during a news conference earlier today.

In the joint news conference, Obama and Castro clashed on the issue of
human rights in Cuba, with the Cuban leader denying knowledge of any
political prisoners in the island nation.

"What political prisoners? Give me a name, or names, or after this
meeting is over you can give me a list of political prisoners and if we
have those political prisoners they will be released before tonight
ends," Castro said.

President Obama's exclusive sit-down interview with David Muir will air
tonight on "World News Tonight With David Muir" at 6:30 p.m. ET and on
"Nightline" at 12:35 a.m.

Obama told Muir that while he had not given Castro a list today, the
U.S. had given the Cuban president lists "in the past."

"They have responded intermittently to our engagement," Obama said.
"And, and this, I think, is an example of why it was my belief that this
would be a more successful mechanism for us to advance the values that
we care about than an embargo and silence and no communications."

President Obama and Cuban President Clash on Political Prisoners in Cuba
Obama Meets With Cuba's Raul Castro
Obama is in the midst of a two-day trip to the island nation that comes
after the two countries reestablished a bilateral relationship in
December 2014 following more than five decades of severed relations.

The trip marks the first time in nearly 90 years a sitting U.S.
president has visited Cuba.

Source: Obama Says He Has Not Handed Over Dissidents' List to Castro -
ABC News -
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/obama-handed-dissidents-list-castro/story?id=37822698