U.S. to Boost Ties With Cubans, Official Says

The Clinton administration plans to allow more contact between Americans and Cubans and to substantially increase the number of Americans eligible to send money to needy Cubans, a senior U.S. official disclosed Monday.

President Clinton also plans to approve the opening of direct mail service to Cuba, an expansion of direct charter flights to the island and the sale of food to entities independent of the government and of farming materials to autonomous farmers.

A formal announcement was expected today.

The senior official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said the measures are intended not to improve relations with the Cuban government but to show support for the Cuban people. The official added that the U.S. embargo against Cuba, imposed 37 years ago, will remain in effect.

Another official said the measures are part of the administration’s goal of promoting peaceful democratic change on the island.

At the same time, the senior official disclosed that a proposal for the creation of a presidential bipartisan commission to review U.S. policy toward Cuba has been rejected. The senior official said a bipartisan consensus on Cuba already exists in the United States and that, therefore, such a commission is not needed.

But Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.), who spearheaded the Senate effort for a commission, expressed disappointment over the decision. He called it “a lost opportunity for America to lead” and said current policy treats Cuba more cruelly than it does Iraq and North Korea, where U.S. embargoes are less restrictive.

The planned measures drew criticism from two Cuban American members of Congress, both Florida Republicans. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said the proposals are a mask to hide the administration’s “true intention of normalizing relations with the Cuban dictator,” Fidel Castro.

Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart said he opposes any sale or financing of agricultural products to Cuba, calling it illegal.