By GEORGE GEDDA
             Associated Press

             WASHINGTON -- A draft report of an independent task force wants the
             government to end limitations on cash transfers from the United States to needy
             Cubans as part of a broader program to promote ``rapid, peaceful democratic
             change on the island.''

             At present, such transfers are restricted to $1,200 a year, and the task force,
             sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations, says removing the limits would
             accelerate the process of creating ``a new group of Cubans'' independent of the
             state.

             The co-authors of the report are Bernard W. Aronson and William D. Rogers,
             both Democrats who made their marks in Republican administrations. Aronson
             served as the top Latin America aide in the State Department for President Bush,
             and Rogers held senior State Department posts in President Ford's administration.
             A copy of the draft was obtained by The Associated Press.

             Beyond remittances, the report also advocates an increase in family reunification
             efforts, scholarly and cultural exchanges and direct mail service, and allowing
             Cuban Americans to claim relatives on the island as dependents.

             ``The success of the Cuban-American community is one of the most powerful
             factors in promoting change in Cuba,'' the report says. ``The transfers of money,
             goods and medical supplies from Cuban Americans to friends, family and religious
             communities in Cuba are helping to create a new group of Cubans who no longer
             depend on the state for their means of survival.''

             ``Remittances from Cuban Americans help to create small businesses in Cuba and
             allow hundreds of thousands of Cubans to improve their lives independent of
             government control,'' it says.

             Many of the recommendations are an attempt to build on the Cuban Democracy
             Act of 1992. While tightening the economic embargo against Cuba, the legislation
             also sought to promote greater exchanges between the two countries. U.S.
             officials said that the administration has been looking for creative ways to apply the
             legislation but that no final decisions have been made.

             Some members of the task force advocated unilaterally lifting the U.S. embargo
             against Cuba, though others opposed that idea. The authors acknowledged the
             futility of trying to bridge this gap.

             ``We believe U.S. policy must build as bipartisan consensus to be effective,'' the
             report said. ``Rather than revisit old divisive arguments, we have consciously
             sought to find new common ground.''

             Other recommendations in the report:

               End restrictions on humanitarian visits. ``The federal government should not be
             the judge of how often Cuban Americans, or any other Americans, need to visit
             relatives abroad.''

               End the regulation that requires academics, health professionals, cultural
             workers, religious leaders and other professionals ---- except journalists -- to
             endure the time-consuming process of obtaining a U.S. government license to visit
             Cuba.