Cuban President Fidel Castro (R) greets Haitian President-elect Rene Preval 13 April, 2006 at the Palacio de la Revolucion in Havana. AFP PHOTO

"If Haiti does not integrate into the region it will have great difficulties in development. So we are going to do everything possible to join with the region politically, economically and culturally," Preval said after meetng Castro.

"The future of Haiti is to strongly advance its integration with Latin America and the Caribbean," he said.

Preval, visiting Cuba with a delegation that includes future members of his government, earlier praised Cuban-trained doctors for the healthcare they have given needy Haitians.

"There's a saying in Haiti: 'After God, there are Cuban doctors'," Preval was quoted as saying, adding: "They have done more than eight million consultations and over 100,000 operations."

Preval, who is due to take office on May 14, said he and Castro "are going to look at all the possibilities that cooperation offers".

Ties between communist Cuba and Haiti, the hemisphere's poorest country, were broken for more than 30 years until being restored during Preval's first presidency (1996-2001).

Castro issued no public statement following the meeting at the time of reporting.