MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguayan president, tenth Latam leader to visit Cuba this year

The former bishop could be meeting with Cuban revolution leader Fidel Castro

Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo is scheduled to arrive in Havana on Tuesday for a two-day visit to Cuba, making him the tenth Latinamerican leader, so far this year, to meet with Cuban president Raul Castro and possibly his ailing brother Fidel.

President Lugo will be flying from the OAS meeting in Honduras and has scheduled a private meeting with his peer Raul Castro and a round of talks at ministerial level between his delegation and Cuban counterparts.

So far this year Cuba has received the visits from President Martin Torrijos, Panama; Rafael Correa, Ecuador; Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Argentina; Chile’s Michelle Bachelet; Guatemala’s Alvaro Colom; Leonel Fernandez from Dominican Republic; Manuel Zelaya, Honduras; Hugo Chavez, Venezuela; Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua and several other Caribbean leaders.

Two of them have been twice this year, Chavez and Ortega, while Torrijos, Correa and Colom left without the privilege of an interview with the ailing Cuban revolution leader Fidel Castro, who has not been seen in public since 2006.

All visitors to Cuba have requested US President Barack Obama to lift the trade and financial embargo on the island standing since 1962, and which is not in the agenda of the OAS general assembly Tuesday in Honduras but will be the most debated issue.

Paraguayan president Lugo was present Monday at the taking office ceremony of El Salvador President Mauricio Funes and is currently in neighbouring Honduras.

He arrives in Havana Tuesday night and his official agenda begins Wednesday with a meeting with President Raul Castro. On Thursday several cooperation agreements will be signed and a ministerial round of talks is scheduled.

President Lugo is travelling with Foreign Affairs minister Hector Lacognata; Communications, Augusto Dos Santos and Public Health, Esperanza Martinez.