LOU WATERS, CNN ANCHOR: Eroding in the very near future could be the decades-old U.S. trade embargo on Cuba. A deal reached very early this morning on Capitol Hill could clear the way for direct U.S. food sales. But there are plenty of strings attached. Here to tell us about that, CNN's Kate Snow -- Kate.</s>KATE SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lou, for weeks Congress has been trying to work out an arrangement, some kind of compromise, between representatives whose represent farming districts, and those who represent Cuban-Americans. And indeed, this is that kind of compromise. This all boils down to agricultural interests, farmers pushing for legislators to open up to Cuba. They travelled to Havana earlier this year. They went around the markets in Havana and in Cuba. And they said: We need to open up and have access to millions of dollars worth of market here in Cuba. And that message obviously got across. For those farmers, this compromise is a first step.</s>REP. JO ANN EMERSON (R), MISSOURI: This makes a huge difference. I mean, our farmers are suffering now from the third year of low commodity prices. And in order to make the Freedom to Farm law work, they have to have access to every market possible.</s>SNOW: Now, there are conditions. If farmers want to sell their food to Cuba, they can only do so through third parties. In other words, if another country, another government like France, or Germany, or a Swiss bank perhaps wants to back a sale of food, that's OK. But they cannot use U.S. government credits to back any sale. They cannot use a U.S. or a Cuban bank to back any sale -- Lou.</s>WATERS: Kate Snow on Capitol Hill.
Congress Clears Way for U.S. Food Sales to Cuba