Sen. John Kerry called ''shocking'' Secretary of State Colin Powell's comment that Fidel Castro is only a problem to Cuba.

BY LESLEY CLARK

Seeking to gain inroads within the critical bloc of Cuban American voters, Sen. John Kerry on Wednesday immediately pounced on remarks made by Secretary of State Colin Powell that suggested Fidel Castro is a problem for Cuba, not ``the rest of the hemisphere.''

Powell's remarks came as he traveled to Brazil this week, and was asked by a reporter about criticism from Latin American leaders who accuse the United States of ``seeing their problems through the lens of Cuba.''

''We don't see everything through the lens of Fidel Castro,'' Powell replied according to a transcript of his remarks posted on the department's website. ``Fidel Castro is a problem for the Cuban people. I don't view him as that much of a problem for the rest of the hemisphere. Certainly not the way he was when I was national security advisor -- 15 years ago . . .''

QUICK TO RESPOND

Kerry, whose campaign hopes to siphon even a sliver of the reliably Republican voting bloc from President Bush, rapidly assailed the remarks, calling it ``shocking that the Bush administration is telling the world that Fidel Castro no longer poses a problem for this hemisphere.

''Fidel Castro is a tyrant who brutally oppresses the Cuban people,'' Kerry said in a statement. ``Castro's Cuba is the last bastion of communism in our region and a major obstacle to the triumph of democracy in this hemisphere.''

The Bush campaign referred calls to the White House and a spokesman could not immediately be reached.

NOT THE FIRST CLASH

A senior state department official said that Powell ''chaired a presidential commission that makes freedom in Cuba a national priority for the first time,'' adding that Bush had implemented tough travel restrictions against the island nation.

Bush and Kerry have clashed before over Cuba. Bush this year has sought to shore up his support among Cuban American voters by cracking down on money and travel to the island, criticizing Kerry for taking a soft stance on Cuba.

Kerry has criticized Bush's new travel policy as harmful to families, seeking to attract moderate Cuban voters.

Herald staff writer Pablo Bachelet contributed to this report.