Cuba-US Farmers want trade barriers lifted.

UNITED STATES-

The top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Richard Lugar of Indiana, is bringing pressure on the Obama administration to boost trade with Cuba.

Lugar has released a 25-page report written by a senior staffer who visited the island in January. The report’s title sums up Lugar’s position: "Changing Cuba Policy - In the United States’ National Interest." Lugar wrote in the introduction, "We must recognize the ineffectiveness of our current policy and deal with the Cuban regime in a way that enhances U.S. interests."

The report says U.S. policy has given the Cuban government "a convenient, though overblown, scapegoat for its economic difficulties" and has "significantly impeded the United States’ ability to influence the direction of policy in Cuba."

The report sees small signs of political moderation in Cuba, but warns that the communist government is unlikely to collapse anytime soon and the United States is missing a chance to build relations with second-tier officials there.

The report also says Raul Castro’s regime appears open to some dialogue and cooperation with the United States.

One area where there could be cooperation or trade, according to the report, is in alternative energy development: Cuban officials "are particularly interested in wind power."

Another area ripe for increased trade, of course, is food. Cuba is allowed to import U.S. agricultural products, but payment restrictions tightened by the Bush administration are said to have limited sales.