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Republican Visits Cuba, Hardens Embargo Position
Sat Sep 20, 7:00 PM ET

By Marc Frank

HAVANA (Reuters) - U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, a Republican from Minnesota, is
reportedly hardening his position on Cuba just 24 hours into a visit to the
Communist-run nation, a source in his four-member delegation told Reuters on
Saturday.

Coleman has in the past favored easing the more than four-decade-old U.S.
embargo on Cuba, even though President Bush (news - web sites) strongly
supports the sanctions.


"The senator is hardening his position and now wants to see movement on
human rights before a further loosening of sanctions," said a member of
Coleman's delegation who asked not to be named.


Coleman met with dissidents Saturday, after meeting with Central Bank
President Francisco Soberon and U.S. diplomats.


Friday evening the senator had dinner with National Assembly President
Ricardo Alarcon. He hopes to talk with President Fidel Castro (news - web
sites) before leaving on Monday.


"It has been very interesting so far," Coleman told Reuters, before lunching
with two leading dissidents at a family-run restaurant.


Coleman discussed Cuba's political and economic situation with the
dissidents, and also talked with them about 75 Castro critics imprisoned in
April after being convicted of working with the United States to topple the
government, the dissidents said.


Coleman is chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee and a member of the Senate Agriculture
Committee.


The senator planned to also explore the sale of agricultural products to
Cuba from his state, which is a major food producer.


Cuba started buying food from the United States in 2001 after Congress eased
the embargo to allow the purchase of agricultural products for cash.


Coleman is the third lawmaker to visit Cuba in two weeks.


Democratic Sen. Max Baucus and Republican Rep. Dennis Rehberg, both from
Montana, signed a $10 million trade deal for their state's farm interests
and met Castro last weekend.


Earlier this month the U.S. House of Representatives passed three measures
to ease the embargo, most importantly one that denies the Bush
administration funds to enforce travel restrictions. Similar legislation is
before the Senate.


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030920/wl_nm/cuba_usa_dc_2