Havana - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met with the ailing former Cuban president Fidel Castro, whom he said he found "very lucid and active."

Lula and the elderly Castro - who formally stepped down from the Cuban presidency in February to pursue his recovery for unspecified health problems - met for some two hours just before the end of the Brazilian's less-than-24-hour visit to Cuba.

Earlier, Lula said that current Cuban President Raul Castro is set to visit Brazil in December for a summit between Latin America and the Caribbean in the north-eastern Brazilian city of Salvador.

"(Castro) is finally going to Brazil," Lula said in confirming the upcoming visit while ha met with Raul Castro in Havana Friday to discuss bilateral agreements.

This is to be Raul Castro's first trip abroad since he took over power from his brother over two years ago, when Fidel Castro "temporarily" gave up power. Raul formally became president in February.

The summit between Latin America and the Caribbean is set to be held December 16-17.

"We are just going to meet among countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, without interference from any other continents or powers to discuss our problems, our solutions and our similarities and to go deeper in the Latin American and the Caribbean soul," Lula said.

This was Lula's second trip to Cuba in less than a year, and he had also met with the ailing Fidel Castro on his previous visit, in January. (dpa)