Castro Meets With Black Lawmakers

HAVANA (AP) _ A group of black U.S. lawmakers who traveled to Cuba to familiarize themselves with the communist country and the U.S. embargo against it have met with President Fidel Castro.

Specifics of the meeting late Friday were not detailed in the Cuban press. Vice President Carlos Lage and Ricardo Alarcon, president of the parliament, were also present.

Led by Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the members of the National Black Caucus arrived Wednesday in Havana and were to stay in Cuba through the weekend, government officials said.

The delegation includes Democratic representatives Sheila Jackson of Texas, Barbara Lee of California, Julia Carson of Indiana, Gregory Meeks of New York and Earl Hilliard of Alabama, as well as business people and journalists.

The group is meeting with other officials and touring schools, health centers and other government offices before returning to the United States on Monday.