The Cuba government announced Monday it has normalized official contacts with all of the European Union (EU) countries, ending a bilateral diplomatic freeze since June 2003.

Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez said that his country was resuming ties with the embassies in Havana of the Netherlands, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic and the EU mission.

Perez explained that the decision came as a result of the "respectful and cordial petition" received last week from the current EU president Luxembourg, and also from the authorities of Spain, Belgium and European Commissioner Louis Michel.

In mid-2003, the EU imposed diplomatic sanctions against Cuba as a response to the arrest of 75 opposition members accused of being mercenaries at the service of the United States and sentenced them to 6 to 28 years in prison.

Cuba responded at once and relinquished economic assistance, and its officials ceased to attend European receptions. The foreign minister refused to receive EU ambassadors requesting to hold meetings with him.

Last week, Cuba had already resumed contacts with France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Austria, Greece, Portugal and Sweden. The Latin American country had also normalized formal relations with Spain, Belgium and Hungary a month earlier.

Perez said that as the remaining EU members -- Ireland, Finland, Denmark, Cyprus, Luxemburg, Malta, Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia and Lithuania -- do not have ambassadors in Havana, Cuba has in fact re-established official relations with all of the EU countries.