By Rafael Lorente
Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Cuban-Americans will be allowed to visit relatives in Cuba just once every three years under new restrictions on travel to the island ordered by President Bush on Thursday.

The change, from the current once-a-year limit, is one of dozens of recommendations in the 423-page report of the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba, released by the White House on Thursday. The commission, appointed by the president in October, was asked to issue recommendations to speed up a transition to democracy in Cuba and to assist a future democratic government.

Notably absent from the report was a controversial proposal, debated for months, that would have temporarily frozen all remittances -- the money Cuban-Americans are allowed to send to relatives on the island. But the report includes a series of recommendations, which the administration says will be quickly implemented, aimed at getting more independent news and information onto the island, denying money to President Fidel Castro's government and assisting democratic groups and dissidents.

Among the key elements:

Restricting remittances from Cuban-Americans to immediate family members, defined as spouses, parents, children, siblings, grandchildren and grandparents.

Cutting the per diem Cuban-Americans visiting the island can spend from $164 to $50. Officials said the limits would not apply to special classes of Americans -- journalists, teachers and others who visit the island -- and presumes Cuban-Americans would stay with relatives and not spend much money on food, lodging or travel.

Adding Communist Party members to the list of government officials who cannot legally receive remittances.

Purchasing an airplane that will be equipped to beam Miami-based Radio and TV Marti broadcasts that can overcome Cuban jamming devices. In the meantime, weekly flights of a specially equipped EC-130E, known as Commander Solo, will be launched to break through the jamming.

Increasing by $29 million the amount of money the United States spends to encourage democracy and aid dissidents on the island.

"It is a strategy that says we're not waiting for the day of Cuban freedom; we are working for the day of freedom in Cuba," President Bush said, holding up a copy of the report at a briefing with members of the commission in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.

The objective of United States policy toward Cuba, according to a White House fact sheet, is to "bring an end to the ruthless and brutal dictatorship."

Pressure to get tough

Bush appointed the commission after months of complaints from some in the Cuban-American community who said the president had not delivered on campaign promises to get tougher on Castro. The commission is chaired by Secretary of State Colin Powell and includes Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and representatives of other parts of the government. It featured five working groups focused on ways to hasten the transition to democracy in Cuba, establishing democratic institutions and other topics.

None of the new policies requires congressional approval, administration officials said. They said the extra money for dissidents and Radio and TV Marti would be taken from the current federal budget.

One new initiative driven by the commission's report will include a crackdown on mules -- people who travel to Cuba for profit with money and goods from the United States. The administration inadvertently made it easier for mules last year by passing regulations that allowed one traveler to carry as much $3,000 to divide among 10 different households. Those regulations will now be undone.

Also, gift parcels sent to the island will be restricted to a value of $200 a month and can contain only food, medicine, medical supplies and equipment, radios, and batteries. The restrictions are meant to stop people from sending dresses for parties and other items some consider frivolous.

Cuban-American leaders in Congress and in Miami mostly responded positively to the report.

"There is no doubt that this will accelerate the transition to democracy in Cuba," said Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Miami. Diaz-Balart said the restrictions on who could get remittances would cut down the amount of money sent to the island.

But the public praise for the report masked discontent among some hard-liners who fought until the end to have remittances cut or eliminated altogether. Remittances are controversial in the exile community, with some arguing the money goes to support Castro's government and others saying they have to send it to support family members.

Estimates are that as much as $800 million every year is sent to Cuba. Much of it is spent in government-owned stores that only accept American money.

Limit on remittances

Currently, any American can send anyone who is not a senior government official in Cuba up to $1,200 per year. Under the new regulations only Cuban-Americans can send money, and only to close relatives. And no money can go to members of the Cuban Communist Party, estimated to number about 800,000.

Bush's decision to leave the $1,200 annual remittance cap alone was likely driven by political concerns. The fear among some of the president's advisers was that while cutting remittances would appease hard-liners among South Florida's Cuban-American community, it also might ignite a backlash from more moderate voices in the community.

More recent arrivals, those who have come from Cuba since 1994, in particular, are more likely to still have family on the island and more likely to send money to them than Cuban exiles who came to the United States in the 1960s. Cutting remittances might have spurred the recent arrivals to become more politically active in opposition to the president. Polls show that recent arrivals are less likely to support Bush.

Elsa Morejon, whose husband, Oscar Elias Biscet, was sentenced to 25 years in prison by Castro's government last year, said she favors 90 percent of the measures, especially improved signals for TV and Radio Marti. Morejon said Cubans who get money from relatives abroad should be willing to sacrifice so that less money flows into the government's coffers.

"Those who had a little more money will have a little less money, ... but we have to think of all [Cubans], not just the few people," Morejon said from Havana.

But Roger Noriega, the Bush administration's lead diplomat to Latin America and a member of the commission, said cutting or ending remittances remains an option.

"That sort of measure could follow," he said. "The president has made clear that these are issues that could be considered at a later date."

Opponents of the president's policy who favor more openness toward Cuba were quick to respond Thursday.

"The mission of TV and Radio Marti is to expose ordinary Cubans to democratic ideals and independent news, and they have great potential to do that," said Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. "However, if we're really serious about letting Cubans hear a voice other than Castro's, why not let Americans travel there? After all, Castro can't scramble a first-hand conversation."

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said in a statement that Bush's recommendations are an election-year tactic. Kerry has said he would not unilaterally end sanctions against Cuba in an attempt to court Cuban-American voters.

"Today, after four years of repeatedly breaking promises and failing the nation, George Bush is back with more promises for Cuban-Americans. But this time his election-year promises ring hollow," Kerry said. "When John Kerry is president, he will fight for a free and democratic Cuba every single day, not just when election time comes around."

Havana Bureau Chief Vanessa Bauza contributed to this report.

Rafael Lorente can be reached at rlorente@sun-sentinel.com or 202-824-8225 in Washington.

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