Cuba -- which vehemently denounced new U.S. measures to ease economic sanctions against the island -- has hinted that it may approve the first visit by a U.S. major league baseball team in half a century.
Parliament Speaker Ricardo Alarcon scoffed at the changes President Clinton announced earlier this week to allow greater contact between Cubans and Americans, calling them ``a public relations maneuver.''
But in comments carried by state television and radio, Alarcon showed markedly less antipathy toward a proposal to allow the Baltimore Orioles to play exhibition games against Cuba's national team.
Alarcon did not say directly whether Cuba would permit the game to be played, but suggested as much by saying that negotiations should address what types of bats -- wood or aluminum -- would be used.
He also indicated that any proceeds should go to help the victims of Hurricane Mitch, which swept central America in October and early November, killing more than 9,000 people and causing enormous damage.
The United States had insisted that any proceeds from such a game be contributed to a charitable cause in Cuba. If the game takes place, it would be first visit by a major league baseball team to Cuba since 1947.
U.S. officials have said the Orioles would like to play one game in Cuba and host the Cuban team at Camden Yards, probably during spring training this year, when the Cubans will be finishing their national winter-league season.
The Orioles, Alarcon said, ``know that Cuba is a baseball power. It is a challenge and it is an honor for any team to compete with the Cubans.''
In delivering Cuba's formal response to Clinton's announcement, Alarcon also said that the proposal to allow organizations to send money to Cuba ``seeks to convert U.S. institutions into tools for bribery to buy people's opinions.''
``It's more of the same,'' he said on Cuban television. ``It's practically a public relations maneuver.''
Earlier, Economy Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez also criticized Clinton's decision, which eases a few elements of the U.S. economic sanctions against Cuba while maintaining the bulk of the blockade.
Clinton announced he would let U.S. companies sell food and farm supplies to nongovernmental organizations in Cuba and let any American send up to $1,200 to Cuban individuals, as well as allow larger cash donations to Cuban charities.
The measures also call for direct mail service to Cuba, expanded charter flights and eased limits on visits while maintaining the ban on tourism, business travel or general trade with the communist island.
Alarcon suggested the United States might have to promise steps to ensure that anti-Cuban terrorists do not use direct postal service to mail bombs, citing several examples of explosives posted to Cuba that had injured people in both countries.
``What are you going to do against your terrorists?'' he asked.
Alarcon also warned that a U.S. court order threatening to attach Cuba's share of telephone revenues from calls between the two countries could threaten the service used by Cuban-Americans to call relatives here.
``If they do not pay us, there would be a free service for the United States,'' he said. ``That would affect communications.''
© Copyright 1999 The Associated Press