Sinn Féin leader Mr Gerry Adams is set to travel to Cuba on Sunday for
a meeting with President Mr Fidel Castro.
Mr Adams will be accompanied by North Belfast Assemblyman Mr Gerry
Kelly on the visit where he will unveil a plaque in memory of the 1981 IRA
hunger strikers.
They will also be joined by Sinn Féin’s international department director,
Ms Joan O'Connor, and will pay visits to the Juan Marquez Paediatric
Hospital and the Latin American School of Medical Sciences. Meetings
are also scheduled with Cuban government officials.
The visit follows Mr Adams's trip to South Africa in October when he
unveiled a monument on Robben Island.
A spokesman for Mr Adams said: "We have identified as part of our
strategy the need to develop our international outreach. We have worked
to do that in the USA, South Africa and the Third World as well as
Australia and other nations."
He said: "It is part of the broad strategy to secure support for the peace
process in Northern Ireland and in helping to move that process
along". The group will depart for Cuba on Sunday and return the
following Thursday.
