Up to 500 aspiring medical students in the US are being offered free tuition in Cuba. The offer from Fidel Castro's government was first made last year, specifically with low-income, minority students in mind. A delegation representing the Congressional Black Caucus discussed the possibility of encouraging black and Latino students to study medicine, given that they are under-represented in US medical schools.

Luis Fernandez, Cuba's diplomatic representative in Washington, said the offer of free tuition and accommodation had gone ahead in the hope that the gesture would improve relations between Cuba and the US. "We hope to create relationships among our people. Something concrete. We are not asking for anything in exchange."

Views on the magnanimity of the offer differ amongst US representatives. Stephen Vermillion, spokesperson for Florida Republican Lincoln Diaz-Balart commented, "The offer is a propaganda ploy by the dictatorship." But New York Democrat Jose Serrano is hoping that young people from his district of the Bronx will avail of the offer. "This is an exciting idea and I just hope that politics don't get in the way."