Argentine President Carlos Menem, one of the most vocal critics of Cuban President Fidel Castro, said Friday in Miami that he is likely to visit Cuba within the next 12 months as part of a possible improvement in relations with that country.

Menem told The Herald that, in light of the recent trip of Pope John Paul II to Cuba,
he is ``reconsidering'' his previous stand on participating in next year's Ibero-American Summit in Havana. Menem said last year that he would not attend the regional summit unless Cuba carries out substantial democratic reforms.

The Argentine president's statements came amid reports that King Juan Carlos II of Spain may visit Cuba at the end of this year, signaling improvement in strained Spanish-Cuban relations. Spain's foreign minister, Abel Matutes, was quoted by the Spanish newspaper El Pais as saying that his country will name a new ambassador to Cuba in coming weeks, to fill the position that had been vacant for more than a year.

Menem referred to the Pope's remarks on his arrival in Cuba Jan. 21 -- ``Let Cuba open itself to the world, and the world open itself to Cuba'' -- as a major reason behind his willingness to make an official visit to the island.

He also referred to Cuba's $1.25 billion foreign debt to Argentina, the island's largest to any Latin American country, and suggested Argentina may use it as leverage to encourage democratic reforms there.

``There is a possibility that Cuba may invite me to visit this year, or maybe at the beginning of next year. Once the invitation arrives, we will consider it,'' Menem said.

He said such an invitation ``would show the interest of the Cuban government in improving ties with Argentina.''

``I'm seeing a glimmer of an opening [in Cuba],'' Menem said. ``Argentina is Cuba's main creditor [in the region] . . . so maybe we can get something started.''

A challenge

He cautioned, however, that ``it will be difficult, because Fidel is very tough: He maintains that Cuba is the only democratic country in the world.''

In the past, Menem's tough line on Cuba won him the admiration of many in Miami's Cuban exile community. In December 1994, the Cuban American National Foundation honored him with its Apostles of Freedom award.

Sources close to the Argentine president said that, in addition to the Pope's visit to Cuba, Menem has been influenced by Argentina's new ambassador to Cuba, who has recently held top-level meetings in Havana and reported about them enthusiastically.

Menem volunteered that the ambassador, Jorge Telerman, ``is doing a good job'' in Cuba.

`Friendly fixer'

In the interview, Menem said he could play the role of a ``friendly fixer'' between the United States and Cuba, ``if I'm asked to do it.''

U.S. administrations have repeatedly said they don't need mediators with Cuba, noting that American and Cuban officials meet regularly in Washington and Havana. At least a halfdozen Latin American and European presidents have volunteered to act as mediators in the past, without much luck.

Diplomatic sources are skeptical of Menem's ability to play a significant role in the U.S.-Cuban dispute.

``The Cubans are really good at making new ambassadors believe they could solve a four-decade-old crisis,'' one Latin American diplomat quipped.

Hope for change

Still, Menem said he also sees a glimmer of change in U.S. policy toward Cuba in the aftermath of the Pope's trip.

``My intuition tells me that the United States may be taking some new steps on this issue, without ending its condemnation of the regime,'' he said. ``The regime is a dictatorship, and those of us who live in democracy cannot forget that.''

Referring to his previous stand that he would not attend the 1999 Ibero-American Summit in Havana unless Cuba implemented fundamental civil rights, Menem noted that Spain and Nicaragua have made similar statements in the past.

``But it's an issue that must be reconsidered after the visit of Pope John Paul II,''he said.

In an earlier interview with The Herald's editorial board, Menem said the 36-year-old U.S. embargo of Cuba should be reconsidered because it has failed to topple Castro. Although a staunch critic of Castro, Menem has also signed several statements by Latin American nations acting as the Group of Rio, and Ibero-American Summit declarations calling for an end to the embargo .

Also Friday, Menem met with Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas, who asked him to support the establishment in the county of an office promoting free trade in the hemisphere.