Bill Nelson Expresses Some Hope for a Thaw With Cuba

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., expressed cautious optimism after President Barack Obamas announcement of some normalization of American relations with Cuba and the exchange of aid worker Alan Gross -- who has been accused by the Castro regime of being a spy and imprisoned for five years -- for three Cuban spies.

The success of this monumental development depends on Castros willingness to grant basic democratic freedoms for the Cuban people, Nelson said on Wednesday.

Nelson said the embargo on Cuba should remain in place until the Castro regime takes steps toward granting freedom for the Cuban people.

Let's see if Castro changes the behavior of a brutal police state and provides freedoms for the Cuban people, Nelson said.