John Zarrella: U.S.-Cuba dialogue on Carter agenda

CNN's John Zarrella

HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is set to arrive Sunday on a historic trip to Cuba, where no U.S. chief executive has visited in more than 70 years.

Carter, who made strides in U.S.-Cuban relations during his administration, would like to further that mission this week between two countries whose proximity is a paradox -- separated by just 90 miles but light years apart in ideology, with powerful political forces on both sides maintaining an icy, post-Cold War chill.

From Havana, CNN's John Zarrella puts Carter's agenda into focus.

ZARRELLA: If you look back, the last U.S. president -- sitting or otherwise -- to visit Cuba was in 1928. It was Calvin Coolidge. So it has been a long time. A lot of things have certainly changed here in Cuba over those long, many years.

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[Sunday morning], former President Jimmy Carter, his wife, Rosalynn, and a delegation from the Carter Center will touch down at Havana's Jose Marti Airport, where -- from now until Friday -- the former president will conduct meetings with all levels of people inside and outside of the Cuban government, including a group of dissidents toward the end of his trip here.

[Sunday] of course there will be arrivals at the airport; there will be a walking tour through downtown, through the old section of Havana, and [Sunday] evening a state dinner with Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Now, the stated purpose of President Carter's trip is to, perhaps, mostly open a dialogue -- to see if there is some common ground where relations can be bettered between the two countries. Of course, the Bush administration has been staunchly against any better relations or any easing of the trade embargo until the Castro government does some awfully serious things on this end, such as more open elections. And, of course, human rights issues are very, very prominent. So, it's going to be a very difficult battle for the president if he expects to accomplish anything very significant -- the former president -- while he's here.

The Carter administration back in the '70s had very good successes with the Castro administration. In fact, the Interest Section here in Havana and the one in Washington -- the two diplomatic missions -- were opened during that administration, the Carter administration. Thirty-six hundred political prisoners were freed in a deal during the Carter administration. And hundreds of thousands of Cuban exiles have been allowed to fly back here to see their relatives because of a deal made during the Carter administration.

It may be difficult for the former president to establish anything as significant as what he did during his administration. But clearly he is here to try. But he has also said he is not in favor of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, which is something that the current administration is holding firmly to.