Soviet foreign minister in Cuba on way to UN

September 17, 1980

Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, on his first visit to Cuba in 15 years, is discussing international affairs with government and Communist Party leaders. Informed sources said he would probably confer with President Fidel Castro, Moscow's closest ally in the Americas, before leaving to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Dr. Castro is chairman of the nonaligned movement and could give Mr. Gromyko and up-to-date briefing on feelings among its 95 members about world trouble spots. Areas of tension likely to come up in the talks include Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, and Southeast Asia.