HAVANA (AP) — A 76-year-old Cuban woman who invited President Barack Obama to her Havana home says she’s thrilled that the president responded with one of the first letters sent directly from the U.S. to Cuba in more than half a century.
Ileana Yarza wrote to Obama on Feb. 18 saying "there are not many Cubans so eager as I to meet you in person." Obama wrote back that "hopefully, I will have time to enjoy a cup of Cuban coffee" when he visits Havana Sunday.
His letter flew to Cuba Tuesday on the first direct mail flight since shortly after the 1959 Cuban revolution. It hasn’t yet been delivered, but the White House has released the text. Yarza tells The Associated Press that she’s "charmed" by Obama, "by his gentlemanliness."
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.