Cuba has signed an accord with Brazil to receive fifteen million dollars in credit to import Brazilian foodstuffs.

The agreement came during a three-day visit to Cuba by the Brazilian foreign minister, Luis Felipe Lampreia, which was aimed at increasing trade and investment in the island.

Brazil has also agreed to buy vaccines from Cuba, while the Brazilian state oil company, Petrobras, is due to begin exploration off the Cuban coast within the next few months.

Mr Lampreia also met a prominent dissident, Elizardo Sanchez, a move which correspondents say indicates Brazil's desire to give increased attention to human rights in its relations with Cuba.