HAVANA -- (AFP) -- Guatemala's new ambassador presented his credentials to
             Cuban authorities Monday, ending 36 years of diplomatic isolation between the
             two countries.

             With the restoration of ties there are now only four countries in Latin America with
             no relations with President Fidel Castro's government.

             ``Cuba is a country I visited years ago,'' said Guatemalan Ambassador Willy
             Kalschmitt when he arrived here Sunday.

             ``I know its history, its countless achievements, and I hope my presence here will
             benefit both our countries.''

             Cuba and Guatemala decided to re-establish diplomatic relations in January
             following the visit to Cuba of Pope John Paul II, who called for an opening
             between the island and the rest of the world.

             Cuba, hit hard by the end of Soviet aid following the collapse of the Soviet Union,
             has launched a diplomatic offensive throughout Latin America in recent years to
             break its isolation in the hemisphere.

             The only Latin American countries now without full diplomatic relations with
             Havana are Costa Rica, Paraguay, El Salvador and Honduras.

             Kalschmitt said his priorities would be promoting trade, cultural and sports
             relations between Cuba and Guatemala.

             Later Monday Guatemalan Vice President Luis Flores and Foreign Minister
             Eduardo Stein, who is currently president of the Council of Ministers of the
             Association of Caribbean States, were to arrive in Havana.

             The group is holding a number of meetings this week on the island.

             A delegation of more than 50 Guatemalan businessmen was expected to
             accompany them.

             Relations between Guatemala and Cuba were broken in 1962, following the
             ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion for which anti-Castro exiles trained in Guatemala.