Acting on the recommendation of an interagency commission seeking ways to hasten the fall of Cuban President . .'s . government, the Bush administration on May 6 announced measures that would make it harder to travel to the island and spend money there.

Opponents of the sanctions say the White House steps pander to anti-. Cuban-American voters in Florida, a key swing state in November's presidential election, and hurt ordinary Cubans instead of the Cuban government.

The Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said in the Federal Register that the new regulations would take effect on June 30, and it would consider comments from the public until no later than August 16.

The tough new rules allow Cuban-Americans to visit immediate relatives on the island only once every three years, instead of once per year. Visits can last no longer than 14 days, according to the published regulations.

US citizens who are not Cuban-Americans are banned from visiting the island, just 150km from Florida, with a few exceptions like journalists and legislators.

The regulations ban travellers from bringing back any Cuban merchandise and receiving any gifts of goods or services from the Cuban government, Cuban nationals or citizens of third countries. Travellers previously had been allowed to bring back up to US$100 ($161.16) worth of Cuban products for personal consumption.

And authorised visitors can now take only US$300 in cash to Cuba, down from US$3000.

The rules also limit to 27.5kg the amount of baggage travellers can carry to the island and reduce the daily spending limit from US$167 to US$50.

Educational visits to Cuba were also curtailed.

Rep Lincoln Diaz-Balart, a Republican and Cuban-American from Florida, said Bush "is the best friend the cause of freedom for Cuba has ever had in the White House." Rep Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, also a Republican from Florida, said the measures "will rob the dictatorship of funds to further oppress the Cuban people."

But ATRIP-USA*Engage, an alliance formed by the National Foreign Trade Council and travel groups, said the rules would hurt ordinary Cubans more than ..

"It is the Cuban people, already in need of our assistance, who will suffer from being cut off from their American families," the alliance said in a statement.

- REUTERS