San José, January 5 (RHC)-- The first group of Cuban migrants, made up of 180 people, out of the nearly 8 000 stranded in Costa Rica, will be flown to El Salvador next week, Costa Rica's Foreign Minister Manuel González has announced.

Minister González added that the group includes some 50 families who will pay for their visas and flight tickets.

The Costa Rican diplomat explained that the departure of the first group of Cuban migrants is in the framework of an exceptional pilot plan agreed upon on December 28th by representatives of Central American governments gathered in Guatemala to try to find a solution to the situation of the Cuban migrants, who are trying to reach U.S. territory through Central America.

The plan consists of establishing an air bridge between Costa Rica and El Salvador. Once in El Salvador, the Cuban migrants will be transferred by bus to Mexico and from then to their final destination -- the United States.