Mother back with children in Cuba

Fidel Castro allegedly received the mother's letter from a friend

A US woman who sought Fidel Castro's help to get back her two children taken to Cuba by their father has been reunited with them, the mother's attorney has said.

Cornelia Streeter could finally embrace her son Henry Wissa, 10, and eight-year-old daughter Victoria - both US citizens - on Wednesday night in Cuba after nearly two years, the attorney, Barry Pollack, said from Boston.

The children's father, Anwar Wissa, had earlier been arrested and would stand trial in Cuba, according to a Cuban Government communique.

The Cuban authorities say the case appears to be a reversal of the highly publicised custody saga of Cuban castaway Elian Gonzalez.

Elian was five years old in November 1999 when he was rescued at sea after a boating accident that killed his mother and other Cubans trying to immigrate illegally to the United States.

Elian's great-uncle in the US fought unsuccessfully to keep the child in Miami during a dramatic custody battle.

Yacht 'hide-out'

The case of the Wissa children emerged after their mother wrote a letter to Mr Castro, delivered by a "friend of our commander in chief", according to the official release.

Cuban territory will never be used as a refuge to kidnap children, even if the perpetrator... is the father

Official statement

The children were reportedly found at Havana's Hemingway Marina, where Mr Wissa, who is also a US citizen, was staying with them on a yacht.

US authorities said they knew about the Wissa case and were working to determine the facts. They said they had not spoken to the mother.

On Thursday, Mr Pollack said that Mrs Streeter was "extremely appreciative of the prompt, sensitive and effective way that the Cuban authorities have handled this matter".

The Cuban authorities said in a statement that both children were in good health, despite "the long traumatic separation from their mother".

Earlier on Thursday, Cuba said investigations showed that after Mrs Streeter and Mr Wissa divorced two years ago, they initially had joint custody of the children. But Mrs Streeter was later granted sole custody.

Elian's case became a national cause for Cubans

According to the statement, Mr Wissa kidnapped the children and fled to Egypt in 2001.

Cubans say he faces criminal charges in Massachusetts and US federal courts for kidnapping the children and trying to extort $1m from their mother for their safe return.

Mrs Streeter is reported to have told the Cuban president that she travelled to Egypt earlier this year, but discovered that her ex-husband had left the country with them, first travelling to Spain, then Cuba.

In the statement, read out on state television and published on the official Granma website, the Cuba authorities said: "Cuba will never forget that when five-year-old Elian Gonzalez was kidnapped by relatives who had no custody rights, more than 80% of the North Americans supported his return to Cuba, where his father and family resided.

"Cuban territory will never be used as a refuge to kidnap children, even if the perpetrator, as in this sad case, is the father."