HAVANA -- (AP) -- Illinois Gov. George Ryan on Saturday paid the first visit to
 communist Cuba by a U.S. governor since Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution,
 declaring that he had ``come here to build bridges between people.''

 Cuba welcomed the visit as a sign of eroding support in the United States for that
 country's embargo. In a sign of the importance that Cuba attached to the visit,
 Ryan -- himself an embargo opponent -- was met at Jose Marti International
 Airport by Ricardo Alarcon, president of the Cuban National Assembly.

 ``Only history will reveal if this mission will begin to make a difference in the lives
 of the people of Cuba and the lives of the people of Illinois,'' the Republican
 governor declared.

 ``The probability that we may fail ought not deter us in support of a cause we
 believe to be just.''

 Alarcon said he hoped the visit would have an ``everlasting effect'' on Cuba-U.S.
 relations and told Ryan that with a warm Cuban welcome, ``you will discover that
 you are back in Springfield,'' the capital of Illinois.

 ``Cuba will receive always with open arms all those who come here inspired with
 the natural sentiment of respect and seeking to promote cooperation,'' Alarcon
 said.

 ``You came, sir, from the land of Abraham Lincoln to the land of Jose Marti, who
 taught us to respect and admire the greatest son of Illinois,'' he said.

 Ryan is leading a 45-member delegation of state, business, religious and
 university leaders on a five-day visit. He plans to present more than $1 million
 worth of donated humanitarian supplies.

 The trip is in line with a Clinton administration policy, unveiled earlier this year, of
 encouraging direct contacts between the United States and the Cuban people.
 Ryan's ambitious agenda started with a private meeting and dinner with Alarcon.
 

                     Copyright 1999 Miami Herald