Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez (left) meets with Cuban President Fidel Castro in Havana in this August 13, 2006 file photo. - File

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP):

The government of President Hugo Chavez plans to sign an agreement with Cuba to send at least 100,000 poor Venezuelans to the communist-led island for no-cost vacations, an official said Wednesday.

Chavez and Cuban Vice- President Carlos Lage were expected to sign the deal allowing low-income Venezuelan families to soak up the sun on the Caribbean island during talks in Caracas, Tourism Minister Titina Azuaje said in a statement.

The tourism programme would benefit Venezuelans who are involved in newly-created communal councils - neighbourhood-based groups that resolve local problems - and government-run programmes called 'missions', which provide education, subsidised food and health care for the poor.

The Venezuelan tourists would travel on Cuba's state-run airline Cubana de Aviacion, Azuaje said.

Signing of accords

Chavez - a close ally of Cuban leader Fidel Castro - and Lage were also expected to sign a series of other accords aimed at boosting cooperation in areas ranging from industry to telecommunications. It was not immediately clear when Lage, who arrived early Wednesday, would depart.

Since taking office in 1999, Chavez has forged strong political and trade ties with Cuba.

The Cuban government has sent Venezuela about 20,000 doctors to treat the poor under a programme that started in 2003 while the island receives shipments of Venezuelan oil under preferential terms.