Obama to be received with "due respect and consideration": Cuban FM

U.S. President Barack Obama will be received in Cuba with the respect and consideration he deserves as a head of state, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said on Thursday.

The minister told a press conference that Obama's visit "will be an important occasion to take new steps which, in the next few months, will improve bilateral relations, on the basis of respect and equality."

With the conference broadcast live on Cuban television, Rodriguez announced that during the historic visit from Sunday to Tuesday, Obama will visit the historic center of the central and the Havana Cathedral, and will also attend a high-level business meeting on potential cooperation between the two countries.

On the final day of Obama's visit, according to Rodriguez, the U.S. leader will make an address at the Alicia Alonso Grand Theater of Havana.

The address, which is expected to be carried live on Cuba's national television, will provide an opportunity for Obama to "communicate directly with the Cuban people," Rodriguez added.

"We hope that, during these days, Obama will better understand our country and interact with civil society organizations," Rodriguez said.

In Washington, Obama's national security adviser Susan Rice said the U.S. president will also meet his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro during the three-day trip. Endi