Castro Meets With U.S. Farm Officials

[Osolomia]

Tuesday December 16, 2003
By ANITA SNOW
Associated Press Writer

HAVANA (AP) - Fidel Castro chatted about nutrition and energy prices during a private meeting with U.S. farm officials who are in Havana for three days of talks on bringing more agricultural goods to Cuba, those at the meeting said Tuesday.

Cuba wants to sign contracts to buy American farm products worth as much as $130 million during the talks, which end Wednesday. The discussions - and Castro's private meeting with about a dozen Americans Monday - underscore the importance Cuba has put on trade with U.S. companies two years since first exploiting an exception to the U.S. trade embargo allowing direct sales of American farm products.

Castro ``didn't talk about politics, not one thing,'' Seth Hammett, Democratic speaker of the Alabama state House of Representatives, said of the Monday night meeting. He said the meeting lasted for more than three hours.

``He talked about the rising cost of energy and how that affects the rising cost of food,'' said Hammett. ``He talked about the different nutritional values of wheat.''

Other Americans in Cuba for the contract talks that began Monday said they were told more meetings with the Cuban president were likely.

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