PRIME MINISTER Bruce Golding will on Sunday begin a historic four-day visit to the communist island of Cuba at the invitation of President Raul Castro.

Golding's visit will make him the first head of government of a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) administration to touch down on Cuban soil.

On his official visit, the prime minister will hold talks with President Castro and other senior Cuban officials on an expanded programme of bilateral cooperation in health care, food production, water resources development, housing and tourism.

The Edward Seaga-led JLP administration of the 1980s severed diplomatic ties with Cuba and sent home its ambassador at the time, Ulysses Estrada, declaring him persona non grata.

Estrada was accused of interfering in the political affairs of Jamaica.

Entourage

Golding will be accompanied by Cabinet ministers: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Dr Kenneth Baugh; Rudyard Spencer, health minister; Dr Horace Chang, minister of water and housing; Edmund Bartlett, tourism minister and Dr Christopher Tufton, agriculture minister.

Karl Samuda, industry, investment and commerce minister, will be in charge of the Government until the prime minister returns on May 7.