Associated Press

Reeling from Hurricane Michelle, Cuba has opened talks with the United States on the purchase of millions of dollars of food and medicine, administration and
congressional sources said yesterday.

Although the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba has been in effect for 40 years, purchases of medical supplies have been legal since 1992. Exports of food to Cuba
were authorized by Congress last year.

Cuban President Fidel Castro had ruled out food purchases because no U.S. financing is permitted. But Castro has made an exception because of the devastation of
Michelle, which destroyed hundreds of thousands of houses and much farmland.

Cuba's problems have been aggravated by economic problems resulting partly from a tourism decline dating from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
The attacks have led to a tourism slump worldwide.

Cuban officials have presented a list of goods for examination by U.S. officials and have been in contact with 15 agricultural companies and 15 firms that produce
pharmaceuticals or medical supplies, the sources said.

                                               © 2001