By Shasta Darlington, CNN
Jimmy Carter headed to Cuba
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Carter lands in Cuba and is greeted by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez
- The trip is officially to strengthen bilateral ties
- However, the ex-president may try to lobby for an American prisoner
- The U.S. contractor was recently sentenced to 15 years in prison
Havana, Cuba (CNN) — Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, landed in Havana Monday for a private visit aimed at lowering tension between the Cold War enemies and seeing firsthand the economic reforms sweeping the communist island.
Unlike his first visit in 2002, when then-Cuban President Fidel Castro personally greeted Carter on the tarmac, this time Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez was on hand to receive the former American leader.
He was invited by current Cuban President Raul Castro on a non-governmental mission and will meet with officials and Jewish and Catholic leaders during his three-day visit.
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 prison for what Cuba considers “subversive” work connecting dissidents to the internet. Gross, a U.S. Agency for International Development contractor, was arrested in Havana in 2009.
The U.S. government says Gross was simply helping the Jewish community use the internet and has repeatedly said that bilateral relations cannot improve until Gross is released.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Carter before his departure, according to Molly Koscina, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, to discuss the issue. “We hope President Carter will urge the Cuban government to immediately release Mr. Gross on humanitarian grounds,” Koscina told CNN.
On Monday, Carter will meet with U.S. diplomats and then religious leaders. On Tuesday, he will have a face-to-face with Raul Castro.
In many ways, the time is ripe. Castro has launched a major shakeup of the Soviet-style economic model, paving the way for more small businesses and private enterprise.
And just last week, Cuba released the last of 75 dissidents jailed in a 2003 crackdown on political dissenters that prompted worldwide condemnation. So at least in theory, two of the major obstacles to bilateral negotiations have been lifted.
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