Carter meets Castro about jailed US citizen

Former US president Jimmy Carter shared a joke with Fidel Castro on a groundbreaking visit to Cuba.

However, Mr Carter, 86, was unable to win the release of a US government contractor, held in jail for 16 months.

He spent hours talking about improving ties with brothers Raul and Fidel Castro, 84, describing the latter as an "old friend". Raul, 80, became president of Cuba while his brother was convalescing.

Washington officials had hoped Mr Carter would leave Havana with USAID worker Alan Gross, jailed this month for 15 years for bringing communications equipment into Cuba. He was arrested in December 2009.

However Mr Carter said: "The Cuban officials made it very clear to me before I left home that the freedom of Alan Gross would not be granted."

The former Democrat president said he met Mr Gross and that the 61-year-old contractor told him he had lost 88lbs since his arrest.

"He still seems to be in good spirits, professing his innocence," he added.