By Eric Pianin
                  Washington Post Staff Writer

                  House Republicans, sharply divided over a proposal to ease economic
                  sanctions against rogue countries, yesterday began discussing a possible
                  compromise that would deny communist Cuba any of the benefits.

                  Proponents of improved trade relations in both the House and Senate
                  succeeded last week in attaching amendments to agriculture spending bills
                  lifting sanctions on the sale of food and drugs to Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Libya
                  and North Korea. The push is being fueled by farm-state Republicans
                  seeking new overseas markets for constituents.

                  But House and Senate GOP leaders are vigorously opposed to any
                  measure that would alter the 40-year-old sanctions on Cuba.

                  Rep. George R. Nethercutt (R-Wash.), a leader of the drive to end the
                  sanctions, said he is considering a number of compromises that would
                  carve Cuba out of the measure. "Maybe there's a middle ground," he said.

                  Nethercutt and House GOP leaders have also discussed removing the
                  trade measure from the appropriations bill, stripping it of the Cuba
                  language and attaching the prohibition against future food and medicine
                  embargoes to a popular crop insurance bill nearing final action in Congress.

                  GOP leaders say easing sanctions against Cuba would only strengthen the
                  hand of the Castro dictatorship. Proponents have argued that sanctions
                  harm innocent people and deny U.S. farmers new markets.

                  The impasse has jeopardized swift passage of the 2001 agriculture
                  spending bill, but yesterday House Appropriations Committee Chairman
                  C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.) said a compromise could be worked out before
                  the end of the week.