Jimmy Carter, left, and Fidel Castro

 Mr. Carter made the assertion Monday as he toured Cuba's biotechnology institute in Havana with Cuban President Fidel Castro by his side.

 Mr. Carter said U.S. officials who briefed him for his Cuba trip told him they had no evidence the communist country was exporting technology that could be used to make weapons of mass destruction.

 The former U.S. president also challenged those in Washington with concerns about Cuba's biotechnology laboratories to inspect them personally. Cuban officials say the institute develops technology only for peaceful purposes.

 U.S. Under Secretary of State John Bolton accused Cuba last week of having at least a limited biological warfare program and providing such technology to nations hostile to the United States.

 Last Friday, President Castro denied the charges as a pack of "Olympic-sized" lies and said that U.S. officials have no evidence to support their claim.

 Mr. Bolton's remarks were made as Mr. Carter prepared to visit Cuba as the first former or current U.S. president to visit the island since the 1959 revolution that brought Mr. Castro to power. 

On Tuesday night, Mr. Carter is scheduled to address the Cuban public in a speech that is expected to be broadcast live from the University of Havana. He is set to leave Cuba on Friday.
 
 

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

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