Carter to Meet Fidel & Raul Castro

CNN reports:

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter continues his trip to Cuba on Tuesday, where he is expected to have a face-to-face session with President Raul Castro.

On Monday, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, landed in Havana for a private visit aimed at reducing tension between the former Cold War enemies, and seeing firsthand the economic reforms sweeping the communist island.

But expectations are high that Carter also will work behind the scenes to secure the release of American contractor Alan Gross, who was recently sentenced to 15 years in a Cuban prison.

Unlike Carter's first visit in 2002, when then-President Fidel Castro personally greeted him on the tarmac, this time Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez was on hand to receive the former American leader.

During a speech to employees at the U.S. diplomatic headquarters on Monday, Carter said he would also meet with Fidel Castro on the trip, although there isn't any mention of such a meeting on the official schedule.