By Pablo Bachelet
Reuters

WASHINGTON -- The House Tuesday debated an amendment that eases the travel ban to Cuba, which the White House has threatened to veto if passed.

The amendment is part of a larger Transportation and Treasury spending bill and seeks to deny the Bush administration funds to enforce the travel ban, without
formally lifting the ban itself. Members are expected to vote on the initiative later in the day.

``My amendment would effectively end the travel ban and allow ordinary Americans to travel to Cuba to take their ideals and values to ordinary Cubans,'' said Jeff
Flake, an Arizona Republican and a sponsor of the ammendment, on the House floor.

``This is an issue of freedom for Americans. We allow for freedom to travel to North Korea, to Iran, to Syria and to other countries where human rights records are
despicable and where animosity towards the U.S. is basic foreign policy.''

A coalition of business organizations and human rights groups have been making a determined push to overturn the embargo, saying the 43-year ban has failed to
topple Fidel Castro and has provided the leader with an excuse for the island's economic woes.

CUTS THROUGH PARTY LINES

The debate cut through party lines, with William Delahunt, a Massachusetts Democrat, saying the ``magnitude of failure of this (travel) policy is colossal.''

But the Bush administration has steadfastly refused to relax travel rules, and tightened licensing requirements that allowed some tourists to go to Cuba legally.

Assistant Secretary of State Roger Noriega on Monday reiterated the veto threat, saying ``sunbathers are not going to liberate Cuba'' since tourist dollars go to hotel
enclaves and government coffers, but not ordinary Cubans.

Pro-embargo members of Congress made a spirited defense of the travel ban, ridiculing the idea that American tourists would spur more democratic change in
Cuba. ``Now, if Castro fears U.S. tourism and its billions of dollars, then why is obtaining U.S. tourism his number one objective?'' asked Lincoln Diaz Balart, a
Florida Republican.

A similar amendment passed last year in the House by a 262-167 margin but was stymied in the Senate. Embargo opponents say the Senate is now more receptive
to a lifting of the travel ban.

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