BY PABLO BACHELET

Under fire from some Cuban exile quarters, Miami Republican Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart is saying that he never proposed ''unilateral'' changes in the Helms-Burton law that regulates the U.S. embargo on Cuba.

Díaz-Balart told The Miami Herald in a recent interview that while he supports the law, he would favor lifting some of the sanctions if Havana freed all political prisoners, legalized opposition parties and promised free elections -- regardless of who rules Cuba.

The Miami Herald stands by its story, and Díaz-Balart has not requested a correction or clarification.

But the comments by the Cuban-American lawmaker, long known for his hard-line opposition to Cuban leader Fidel Castro, raised concerns among some Cuban exiles that they might signal a change in U.S. policy toward the communist-ruled island.

Jorge Mas, chairman of the Miami-based Cuban American National Foundation, Monday sent President Bush a letter asking if the administration had changed its position on Helms-Burton.

The letter criticized Díaz-Balart's statements, saying CANF members ''do not consider it beneficial to alter or suggest altering Helms-Burton now or at any time in the future.'' It added that the Castro brothers should leave Cuba if they are serious about a transition to democracy.

Díaz-Balart issued a statement Monday saying that his views on Helms-Burton had been misrepresented, restating his key conditions and saying that CANF could have saved itself the time by telephoning him for his comments.