Making good on the promise Cuba made in its landmark deal with longtime enemy the United States, the agreed upon 53 prisoners held in Havana on political charges have been released, American officials confirmed to Reuters.

The wire service, citing an anonymous senior U.S. official, reports that the White House intends to release the identities of all 53 prisoners to Congress. The restoration of U.S.-Cuba diplomatic relations followed a reported 18 months of negotiations between the countries, and further talks intend to reestablish travel and economic ties. From the Associated Press:

The prisoners had been on a list of opposition figures whose release was sought as part of the U.S. agreement last month with the Cuban government. They had been cited by various human rights organizations as being imprisoned by the Cuban government for exercising internationally protected freedoms or for their promotion of political and social reforms in Cuba.

The country released American prisoner Alan Gross after five years in captivity last month. There remains, however, a number of prisoners still held in Cuba. From Reuters:

But it is unclear exactly how many dissidents are not on the list. Left out were the names of at least eight Cuban exile militants jailed on terrorism charges after they attempted to infiltrate Cuba with weapons, as well as 20 Cubans jailed on charges of attempting to hijack boats or planes. Also excluded, U.S. officials say, were several Cubans jailed on unspecified charges of crimes against the state, including a handful of people believed to have spied for the United States.

"The fact of the matter is there are other individuals whose cases we have raised in the past," one U.S. official told Reuters. "We have every expectation of going forward in the future. We're going to be wanting to raise the cases of different individuals who may be detained in Cuba for exercising their universal rights."

The U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay was apparently "not 'on the table'" in previous negotiations.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson plans to be in Cuba next week for continued talks; Reuters reports President Obama could use his executive powers "in a matter of days and weeks" to lessen travel restrictions to the country.

[Image via AP]