By Peter Slevin
Washington Post Staff Writer

Eight members of the House who oppose the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba have formed a working group to press for a broader opening to the communist
government, just as the Bush administration is conducting a policy review certain to affirm the 40-year-old U.S. freeze.

The developments could lead to friction between Congress and the White House over Cuba at a time when Cuba has signed new contracts for U.S. food sales and
Cuban leader Fidel Castro has spoken favorably about the use of the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay for Afghan war detainees.

President Bush has pledged to fight any effort to weaken the embargo and has placed several anti-Castro officials in prominent policymaking positions. But the four
Republican and four Democratic members of the Cuba Working Group intend to press for increased trade and social exchanges with Cuba, beginning with lifting
restrictions on U.S. travel to the island.

At the same time, the Bush administration is preparing to increase its criticism of Castro's human rights record and Cuba's lack of democracy, said a State
Department official, who said the government also wants to find more ways to help independent groups in Cuba.

"This administration is not inclined to let Fidel's charm offensive go unchallenged," said the official, who requested anonymity.

Members of the Cuba group have been meeting informally for several months. They intend to announce their existence more formally in the coming weeks, said Rep.
William D. Delahunt (D-Mass.), and are hoping to be joined by perhaps two dozen other representatives.

The group has met with State and Treasury department representatives and sent letters this week to government agencies, seeking briefings on Cuban-related matters
such as agricultural sales, narcotics trafficking and U.S.-government financed Radio Marti and TV Marti broadcasts to the island.

"I respect the other side, but I also think there are an awful lot of people in the House and Senate who feel the opposite," said Rep. George R. Nethercutt
(R-Wash.), a member of the group.

Prospects for further trade have been the most important influence behind those advocating an opening to Cuba. Nethercutt's constituents in eastern Washington
benefited from a decision by Cuba this week to purchase about $35 million in agricultural products from U.S. companies, adding to $40 million worth of food Cuba
bought last year after Hurricane Michele hit the island. Washington state farmers will provide 20,000 metric tons of dried peas and 1,000 metric tons of Red
Delicious apples as part of a new deal.

Congress is considering a measure that would allow U.S. companies to finance sales to Cuba, potentially increasing Cuba's trade with the United States and opening
another chink in the embargo. The Senate version of this year's farm bill includes an amendment permitting U.S.-based financing, while the House version does not.

"We are trying to look for markets to increase the livelihood of my constituents," said Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), a member of the Cuba Working Group's
steering committee. "No one is talking about lifting the entire embargo tomorrow. We are talking about selling our commodities there."

Castro's decision to expand purchases of U.S. agricultural products, first permitted by Congress in November 2000 but not undertaken by Cuba until a year later, is
an effort to influence the U.S. political debate over further sales and financing, according to administration officials and Cuba analysts.

The purchases were "clearly designed to have a political effect," said John Kavulic, president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council. "Cuba has discovered
that providing a desired constituency with economic value has more immediate impact than does rhetoric."

The eight companies that signed the first round of contracts with Cuba in November consciously spread the bounty among 21 states, Kavulic said.

An opponent of any weakening of the U.S. embargo, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), dismissed the efforts of the working group and its prospective allies.

"This is a group that will have minimal impact in changing the course of U.S.-Cuba policy. They will be playing Castro's game," she said. "As long as we have George
W. Bush in the White House, their efforts will continue to be failed ones."

The working group's organizers already have met with administration officials about the travel ban. The group's first goal is to reverse the U.S. policy, which seeks to
deny economic support for the Castro government by prohibiting most Americans from spending money in Cuba. As many as 60,000 Americans visited in defiance
of the law last year, while about 140,000 more received special licenses, the Treasury Department has said.

In July, the House voted 240 to 186 to prevent Treasury from spending money to enforce the ban, but the measure did not become law. Sen. Byron L. Dorgan
(D-N.D.) held a hearing last month to criticize what he called an "ill-advised" policy.

                                               © 2002