President Raul Castro arrived in Cuba on Tuesday after a short visit to Ecuador, where he attended the swearing- in ceremony of his Ecuadorian counterpart Rafael Correa, who was re- elected last April for a second term in office until 2013.

Raul was welcomed at Havana’s Jose Marti International airport by First Vice President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura. During his visit to the South American nation, the Cuban leader participated in a rally that took place last Monday at the Atahualpa stadium in Quito, the capital; and visited the ‘Mitad del Mundo’ (Middle of the World) city, where he paid tribute to Cuban National Hero Jose Marti.

The Caribbean delegation to the swearing-in ceremony was also comprised of Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla and Havana Historian Eusebio Leal.