Alan Gross, left, pictured here with his wife Judy Gross, is incarcerated in Cuba. STORY HIGHLIGHTS"Richardson came to Cuba on his own initiative," Foreign Ministry official says Official accuses him of "slanderous declarations" to the pressThe former governor says he will not leave Cuba until he visits American contractorThe contractor was sentenced to 15 years for crimes against state security Havana (CNN) -- Cuba on Wednesday accused former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson of "blackmail" and denied the government had invited him here to negotiate the release of an American contractor sentenced to 15 years in prison. In a news release, a Foreign ministry official said the Alan Gross case "was never on the table during the preparations for his visit." "Mr. Bill Richardson came to Cuba on his own initiative and we received his request for a private visit as in other past occasions," said Josefina Vidal, the Foreign Ministry's director of North America. An exclusive report September 7 by CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room" said Richardson was invited by the Cuban government for the specific mission of trying to negotiate the release of Gross. But the mood soured during a three-hour meeting with Cuba's foreign minister during which he was told he would not be allowed to visit the prisoner.
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