By Paul Richter
Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON — In a disappointment to some Cuban-American activists, the White House has decided after weeks of deliberation that it will not take additional
steps to punish Fidel Castro for cracking down on pro-democracy dissidents, officials said yesterday.

U.S. officials had signaled that President Bush and top aides were likely to announce a toughening of U.S. policy yesterday, the 101st anniversary of Cuba's
independence from Spain. Instead, Bush met with a group of Cuban dissidents in the Oval Office to voice his support for pro-democracy efforts, but unveiled no
policy change.

A senior administration official, who insisted on anonymity, said the administration continues to consider changes, but "we cannot meet people's expectation of a
certain timetable. We have our own timetable."

Some anti-Castro Cuban Americans said they feared Bush is losing an important opportunity to increase pressure on the Castro regime.

Though "the president is our ally ... we don't expect just words, but action," said Ninoska Perez, director of the Cuban Liberty Council, a strongly anti-Castro group
based in Miami.

Pressure has been building on Bush to take tougher action since March, when Castro's government arrested 75 pro-democracy dissidents and sentenced them to
prison terms of up to 28 years.

The administration has strongly condemned the actions.

Some exiles prodded the Bush administration to crack down on Havana by ending the $1,200 a year in remittances Cuban Americans can send their families on the
island — a major source of hard currency for Castro's government — or discontinuing direct charter flights between the United States and Cuba.

But other exiles opposed those sanctions because they would hurt Cuban Americans who want to help their families.