Castro holds talks with Haitian president

Cuban leader Raul Castro and visiting Haitian President Michel Martelly held talks here late Wednesday on ties and cooperation between the two countries, authorities said. It is Martelly's first visit to the island after he was sworn in as president. "Both leaders praised the state of the current relations and expressed their willingness to further strengthen the collaborative ties," an official press release said. Martelly led a Haitian delegation to Cuba Tuesday for a three-day visit in a bid to strengthen ties with Havana. Cuba already had a medical brigade in Haiti before the major earthquake that devastated Port au Prince in January 2010. The number of brigade staff now exceeds 1,200. Castro said that Cuba's medical aid to Haiti will last "as long as necessary."