BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CANA): CUBAN PRESIDENT Fidel Castro laid out a red carpet welcome yesterday morning for Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur outside the Palace of the Revolution at the start of his first official visit to the socialist Caribbean nation.

A 100-strong palace guard bedecked in full regalia formed part of the official welcome outside the Palace.

There, President Castro greeted Prime Minister Arthur, Deputy Prime Minister Billie Miller and the visiting delegation of private sector and business officials.

President Castro, dressed in his trademark army green fatigues, stood at the edge of the parade square to await the arrival of Prime Minister Arthur, as the members of the official delegation waited at the foot of the palace stairs to be introduced to the 71-year-old Cuban leader.

On arrival Monday, Arthur said his visit was in part to "build a deeper understanding among our people".

Arthur was speaking minutes after touching down during an impromptu press conference at the Jose Marti International Airport.

Prime Minister Arthur, who was met by a ministerial delegation led by Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and Cuba's Ambassador to Barbados Lazaro Cabezas, stressed that Cuba and Barbados shared a number of important values and also had concerns about the future which they wanted to resolve.

"The visit will allow us not to look to the past, but to look to the future and to put in place the elements of a strengthened relationship with Cuba that has at its core a new business relationship and the strengthening of our relationships in all of the international relationships to which we subscribe," he said.

"We have much to learn from Cuba and I am sure that in our own modest way we can also be of some value to the Cuban people," he added.

Just yards from the airport, a large white banner which read "We welcome your Dear Prime Minister of Barbados Mr. Owen Arthur" and a huge billboard with a life-sized portrait of the prime minister welcomed the delegation as they drove to the hotel.

Barbados' Ambassador to Cuba Dr Peter Laurie and Chief of Protocol Antoinette Forte were also on hand to meet the Barbadian delegation.