Diplomat Carter in Cuba

Former United States President Jimmy Carter met religious leaders in Cuba as he began a trip to discuss economic policies and ways to improve Washington-Havana relations, which are tense over the imprisonment of a US contractor on the island.

Carter met leaders of Cuba's Jewish and Catholic communities but did not say whether he mentioned Alan Gross, who was arrested in December 2009 while working on a USAID-backed democracy-building project meant to improve internet access.

Cuba says such USAID programmes are aimed at overthrowing the Government. This month Gross was sentenced to 15 years in jail.