The Associated Press
Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2000; 3:35 p.m. EST

HAVANA –– Cubans applying for U.S. visitor visas in Havana will have to wait up to 15 days because of a dispute with the Cuban government, the U.S. Interests Section announced Tuesday.

The mission said the Cuban government had backed away from an earlier agreement on a more efficient visa application process. But U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said later they had reached a new, verbal pact with the Cubans to implement the system within 15 days.

The problem affects most Cubans trying to visit relatives in the United States or take part in academic, cultural or other events.

U.S. officials said the problem was procedural, not political, and was not related to the custody battle over 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez or other disputes.

Under the old system, Cubans seeking such visas had to send a letter to the Interests Section, which then had to send them a letter inviting them to apply for a visa. With that letter, they were allowed to enter the diplomatic mission's compound to apply. The old process could take months.

The new system, which U.S. officials hoped to start Monday, would have let Cubans come directly to the mission and drop an application into a box. Officials said most applicants would have an interview and a reply to their request the next day.

But on Tuesday, Cuban police blocked streets near the mission, preventing about 200 people from entering. The crowd waited peacefully, hoping police might change their minds.

"There are people who have been waiting here for three days," said Isabel Rodriguez Cruz of the central Cuban city of Matanzas, who had waited for several days.

Another of those waiting, Isabel Monsibaez, said Cuban officials had told the crowd on Monday that the old system would continue. But she said U.S. officials told them Tuesday that it would not.

U.S. officials said that in preparing for the new system, they had already destroyed letters sent to them under the old method.

A statement said the mission "no longer has the ability – nor is it willing – to revert to the inefficient and easily corrupted system of issuing application letters."

The Interests Section has issued about 4,800 such visas since the start of October.

The Section, operated by U.S. diplomats under a Swiss flag, performs most of the functions of an embassy, but the United States and Cuba have no formal diplomatic relations. Cuba also operates an interests section in Washington, D.C.