To the contrary, the Cuban-American community and congressional policy makers remain steadfast in their support of the present policy and law. We grieve for our colleague, who brought the Castro dictatorship's tyranny to the forefront of U.S. foreign policy. But his life's work did not die with him.

For 39 years Castro has imposed his dysfunctional policies on the Cuban people. He continues to harass and imprison anyone who challenges the system, charging them with crimes such as ``enemy propaganda.''

Castro has not made a single gesture of reform, much less held the democratic elections that he long ago promised. The Berlin Wall has come down, Latin America has embraced democracy and market economics, the world has evolved, and Castro continues to spout the same rhetoric.

Cuba's future and the lifting of U.S. sanctions are contingent upon a sea change in policy by Castro, not the United States. We support a prompt transition to democracy in Cuba. We advocate the immediate lifting of trade sanctions upon the re-establishment of democracy in Cuba.

U.S. policy toward Cuba is not unlike our policies toward other rogue regimes, like Iraq, Libya, and the Sudan. The lifting of U.S. sanctions is conditioned upon the release of all political prisoners, the legalization of all political activity, and the willingness to hold free elections by a Cuban provisional government.

Castro is a tyrant, and appeasement of tyranny is a bad policy. The United States will continue to stand on the side of freedom and democracy and on the side of the Cuban people.

Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart
R-Miami
Rep. Ileana Ros Lehtinen
R-Miami
Rep. Robert Menendez
D-New Jersey

U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C.