The government of Mexico has signed an agreement with Cuba to promote bilateral investment, in spite of United States attempts to discourage investment in the communist island.

After signing the deal in Mexico City, the Cuban Minister for economic co-operation, Marta Lomas, said the agreement would grant Mexican investors legal protection against the possible implementation of US legislation known as the Helms-Burton law.

This penalises companies that invest in property confiscated from US owners after the Cuban revolution. Mexico is Cuba's top trading partner in Latin America, and ranks among the country's top ten foreign investors.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service