From Herald Staff and Wire Reports

President Bush's controversial crackdown on travel to Cuba is applauded in the 2004 Republican party platform approved on Monday, underscoring the campaign's belief it will help motivate Cuban-American voters.

The document, which presents the party's overall principles, praises Bush's most controversial measures -- cutting back travel to the island from once a year to once every three years, as well as limiting gift parcels to immediate family members. The platform says the Bush panel that devised the measures ``provided a plan for agile, effective and decisive assistance to the people of Cuba.''

Democratic rival John Kerry, who hopes to siphon some Cuban-American votes from Bush, has called the president's new restrictions on travel to Cuba too harsh on families and has endorsed what he calls ''principled travel'' to the island.

The Republican platform also declares that ''Republicans understand that the Castro regime will not change by its own choice.'' And the document backs more money for Bush's plan to launch regular airborne broadcasts to Cuba and democracy-building efforts on the island.

-- LESLEY CLARK