By Albor Ruiz

                   For 40 years the U.S. has made it illegal for its citizens to go to
                   Cuba. But today, the President will get a petition signed by
                   6,000 Americans demanding their right to free travel.

                   "It will be a strong statement," said Sarah Stephens, of the
                   Washington-based Center for International Policy, one of the
                   sponsors of Cubacentral.com, a new Web site dedicated to
                   effecting change in U.S. policy toward Cuba. "It's time to end the
                   ban on travel by Americans to Cuba."

                   The signatures were collected electronically through
                   Cubacentral.com and are part of a joint project sponsored by 13
                   organizations working to change U.S. Cuba policy from a Cold
                   War-style strategy of confrontation to one of normalized relations
                   and common sense.

                   "All [the sponsors] have believed for a long time that ours is a
                   failed policy," Stephens added. "And we want to let the President
                   know that thousands of people in this country think it should be
                   changed."

                   The message is clear from the beginning: "Dear President Bush,"
                   the first lines read, "it's time — long past time — to change our
                   policy toward Cuba."

                   For four decades, that policy has revolved around a very strict
                   trade embargo and a travel ban.

                   Inexplicably, even though traveling to Cuba is illegal, there are no
                   restrictions against Americans going to North Korea, Vietnam or
                   China.

                   But 43 years and eight U.S. Presidents later, the trade restrictions
                   have failed to achieve their stated objective of overthrowing the
                   island's Communist regime.

                   Fidel Castro is still solidly in power, and the only accomplishment
                   of the blockade (as Cubans call the embargo) has been to make
                   life more difficult for the Cuban people. Not exactly something to
                   boast about.

                   "So when on May 20, the President stated in a morning speech in
                   Washington, and again in Miami in the afternoon, his intention to
                   continue down the same road," Stephens said, "we felt we should
                   let him know we disagreed."

                   Cubacentral.com sponsors include New York-area organizations
                   such as Marazul Tours, a travel agency specializing in trips to
                   Cuba, and Pastors for Peace, a religious group that, as a protest,
                   travels to the island in violation of the embargo laws.

                   "Different sponsors have different motives to support lifting the
                   ban," Stephens said. "The religious groups do it because the
                   embargo is immoral, the political ones because it is a failed policy
                   and the travel agencies because it is good for business."

                   The petition comes at a time when the White House and Congress
                   are growing further apart in policy related to Cuba. Bush
                   repeatedly has said he wants harsher policies, while in Congress
                   there are increasing moves to ease trade sanctions and restrictions
                   on travel.

                   "You know, 44 members of Congress, both Democrat and
                   Republican, have formed the Cuba Working Group," Rep.
                   Charles Rangel (D-Harlem) said. They favor lifting the travel ban
                   and the trade restrictions. "It is our people's nature to trade, to
                   travel, and we want to be able to sell food, send money, travel
                   freely."

                   Historic Mistake

                   The Cubacentral.com petition calls the President's reluctance to
                   embrace a policy of increasing trade and visits to Cuba "a mistake
                   of historic proportions."

                   "Rather than repeating the failed policies of the last 42 years," it
                   goes on to say, "rather than responding to political pressures from
                   extreme elements of the Cuban exile community in places like
                   Miami, you should ... end the embargo ... stop the ban on travel
                   [and] promote real reconciliation between ... the United States and
                   Cuba."

                   A strong statement indeed.

                                            E-mail: aruiz@edit.nydailynews.com