The medical assistance that Cuba provides the Honduran people was just one of the topics discussed during official talks between Raúl Castro and Honduran President José Manuel Zelaya on Tuesday. The meeting followed an official greeting ceremony for the Central American head of state at Havanas Palace of the Revolution

"This first visit by a Honduran president constitutes an expression of the cordial relations that exist between the governments of the two countries," stated an official note published in todays Granma newspaper.

In accordance with the scheduled program, the Honduran head of state will also take part in the signing of a Maritime Delimitation Treaty.

Cuba and Honduras reestablished diplomatic relations in January 2002, though but since 1998 "following Hurricane Mitch" some 1,500 Cuban aid workers have provided services in that Central American country.

There are currently 400 Cuban doctors working in Honduras, while 1,000 young people from that nation are studying in Cuba - 500 of them as medical students.

Source: Juventud Rebelde