Demonstrating the growing clout of Cuban-American lawmakers in Washington, a group of legislators is creating a new caucus to toughen sanctions against Fidel Castro. Another group wants to ease U.S. travel restrictions to Cuba.

By OSCAR CORRAL

In a show of the growing clout of Cuban-American lawmakers in Washington, a bipartisan group of legislators is forming a caucus to strengthen measures designed to weaken Fidel Castro's regime and to promote Cuba's civil society and pro-democracy movement.

The Cuban Democracy Caucus had yet to finalize its agenda and membership late Tuesday. But a draft of a 10-point agenda obtained by The Herald shows the caucus may push for aggressive new tactics to undermine Castro.

Among the moves being pushed:

• Support current U.S. law behind the embargo and fight legislation that would allow U.S. tourists to visit and spend money in Cuba;

• Insist that U.S. interests be allowed to lobby the Havana government as much as Washington allows lobbying by the Cuban government;

• Demand accountability for crimes committed by the Cuban government against U.S. citizens, such as the shoot-down of the Brothers to the Rescue planes in 1996, which resulted in four U.S. civilian deaths.

The formation of the caucus will be announced today, just as groups that want to ease the U.S. embargo of Cuba gather for a conference in Washington to call for an end to travel restrictions.

DUELING EVENTS

Today's dueling events in the capital show that debate over how best to speed up democratic reforms on the island remains vibrant.

''It's a clear sign that momentum has shifted and now there is an offense,'' said Mauricio Claver-Clarone, a lobbyist in Washington for the conservative Cuba Democracy Advocates. ``Enough is enough. These groups that are getting together on the other side [to loosen the embargo], it's pretty extreme. You can see that their movement is in decay.''

But U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican who is calling for an end to travel restrictions to Cuba, argues that increasing travel to the island will do more to bring about democratic change. He and other legislators plan to announce legislation today to lift the travel ban as part of Cuba Action Day, a conference organized by groups opposed to the U.S. embargo.

''Travel has a corrosive effect on tyrannical regimes,'' Flake said in an interview Tuesday. 'Forty-five years later, we still have Fidel Castro in charge. Ordinary Americans have to look back and say, `What are we accomplishing with denying travel?' ''

President Bush has threatened to veto any legislation that would ease the U.S. embargo. Caucus members will include Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., Sen. Bill Nelson,D-Fla., U.S. Reps. Mario and Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz, D-Weston.

Nelson and Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., are also planning to introduce a bill in the Senate that would authorize the U.S. government to send $15 million in aid directly to dissidents on the island, much like the United States did to support dissident groups in Eastern Europe during the Cold War. Today, the United States does not send aid directly to dissident groups.

The bill also would fund a new position in the State Department to oversee a transition to democracy in Cuba.

A YEAR OF WORK

Jorge Mas Santos, chairman of the Cuban American National Foundation, said the foundation's lobbyist, Camila Ruiz, has been working for a year to create the caucus, which got a major boost in the Senate when Martinez was elected in November. The foundation has long pushed for the Ensign-Nelson bill.

Wasserman Shultz said she was contacted by Cuban-American lawmakers to join the caucus and gladly agreed because she wanted to show solidarity with the cause for a free Cuba.

''I will work with other members in trying to help spread the word that there are reasons to continue the embargo and keep pressure on Castro,'' she said.

Not all caucus members agree with all 10 points on the agenda. For example, Meek said he disagrees with the Bush administration's crackdown on travel to the island, arguing that it hurts families. The agenda says the caucus will work to ``support current U.S. law and prevent passage of legislation that provides U.S. tourism subsidies to the Castro regime.''

Under current law, Cuban Americans can visit the island only once every three years to visit family members.

''I do not support travel restrictions for Cubans who want to visit family members,'' Meek said. ``But I don't think that makes me an outcast in the pro-democracy movement. It should be about what we can do together to promote democracy.''