By TRACEY EATON / The Dallas Morning News

HAVANA – Former President Jimmy Carter arrived in Cuba on Sunday and was greeted warmly by Fidel Castro, who said the former president could meet with
dissidents during his historic stay and could inspect any of the island's biotechnology research facilities.

Mr. Carter wasted no time taking the Cuban leader up on his offer. On Monday morning, Mr. Carter had breakfast with opponents of the communist regime.

Veteran rights activists Elizardo Sanchez and Oswaldo Paya joined Carter for a meeting at his hotel in Old Havana. Both are coordinators of Project Varela, a proposed
referendum asking voters if they want guarantees of individual freedoms, an amnesty for political prisoners, the right to own their business and electoral reforms.

Later in the day, Mr. Carter is scheduled to visit a major laboratory, the Center of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology on the outskirts of Havana.

A business suit for Mr. Castro

Mr. Carter, the first U.S. president – past or present – to visit Cuba in more than 70 years, stepped off a private plane shortly before 11 a.m., smiled broadly and shook
hands with Mr. Castro, who wore a gray business suit instead of his customary fatigues.

The two spoke to a small group of Cuban and U.S. officials under a blistering morning sun as the Cuban and American flags waved side by side.

The Cuban president praised Mr. Carter for his courage and told him, "We honestly hope that your visit to Cuba is not used by anyone to question your patriotism."

Mr. Castro said he invited the Georgia Democrat to visit because he is a man who, "in the middle of the Cold War and from the depth of an ocean of prejudice,
misinformation and distrust on both sides of the Florida Straits, dared to try to improve relations between both countries."

As president during the 1970s, Mr. Carter pushed for normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries and began to relax laws preventing Americans from
traveling to the island.

Security was extremely tight as Mr. Carter arrived at the José Martí Airport terminal No. 1, reserved for VIPs, at 10:45 a.m. The Cuban public was not permitted inside
the airport or on the tarmac.

Among those attending the arrival ceremony was Vicki Huddleston, the top American diplomat in Cuba. Mr. Castro, who has called her a spy and lashed out at her for
passing out hundreds of short-wave radios on the island, shook her hand politely and wished her a "very, very good morning" before moving down the line.

Heated tensions

The dignitaries stood at attention as a military band played first the Cuban national anthem and then "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Mr. Carter's visit comes as tensions between the two countries have begun to heat up.

Despite calls from U.S. lawmakers and others to lift the trade embargo that has strapped Cuba for decades, the Bush administration has taken a hard line against Mr.
Castro's regime.

Two South Florida members of Congress had tried to stop Mr. Carter's visit, saying former presidents shouldn't be traveling abroad "to appease anti-American dictators."

The Cuban president in recent days has angrily denied U.S. accusations that the socialist government may be producing biochemical weapons and sharing its technology
"with other rogue nations."

'Complete access'

Mr. Castro said Sunday that Mr. Carter could express himself freely, "whether or not we agree with part of what you say" and that he could have "free access to every
place you want to go."

He said that in the agreed-upon itinerary the former president was to visit scientists from Cuba's Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Institute. But if he wished, Mr.
Castro said, Mr. Carter could also talk to any scientist or visit any scientific institution of his choosing.

"You will have free and complete access – together with any specialists of your choosing – to that or any other of our most prestigious scientific research centers, some
of which have been recently accused, just a few days before your visit, of producing biological weapons," the Cuban leader said.

Mr. Carter said he and his wife, Rosalynn, who was at his side, were "delighted to be in Cuba again after 47 years." The couple had visited for a weekend in the 1950s
before Mr. Castro came to power.

He said he looked forward to meeting "many Cubans from different walks of life. We are eager to see firsthand your accomplishments in health, education and culture,"
he told the Cuban leader.

Mr. Carter, who is to address the Cuban people on live television Tuesday evening, said he wanted to discuss with Cubans the ideals he holds dear – "peace, human
rights, democracy and the alleviation of suffering. We realize that we have differences on some of these issues, but we welcome the opportunity to try to identify some
points in common and some areas of cooperation."

During his stay, Mr. Carter is also expected to meet with members of the political opposition, including Osvaldo Payá, head of the Varela Project, a signature-gathering
campaign, which just last week delivered more than 11,020 signatures to the Cuban National Assembly, demanding a referendum on democratic reforms.

The State Department has urged Mr. Carter to speak with Mr. Castro about human rights and encourage a peaceful transition to democracy.

After their speeches, the two leaders climbed into a black Soviet-made Zil limousine, reserved for only the most special of guests.

Sunday afternoon, after lunch at the Santa Maria hotel, Mr. Carter took a walking tour of Old Havana, passing centuries-old colonial buildings.

City historian Eusebio Leal strolled with him, explaining what the government is doing to restore the historic quarters.

Cuban passers-by at one point erupted into applause when they saw Mr. Carter.

Earlier, before the ex-president landed, Cubans sat on park benches awaiting his arrival.

"To think that Fidel would invite Carter to Cuba and he'd actually come here – how good it is!" said one of them, Lidia Machado, 64, a street cleaner.

Manuel Perez, 39, said he hopes Mr. Carter's visit will bring better understanding between the United States and Cuba.

"We need to sort out our differences," he said. "We're neighbors."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.