BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: President Clinton did sign a $3.5 billion disaster aid bill into law Saturday to help American farmers. A special clause in the agriculture legislation relaxes some of U.S. sanctions against Cuba. It's going to allow the U.S. to sell food and medicine to the communist nation for the first time. CNN's Lucia Newman joins us now by phone from Havana with reaction to the potentially landmark move. Hello Lucia; the news didn't draw quite the warm reaction you might expect?</s>LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: Not at all Brian -- good evening. Well, indeed President Clinton's signing of the bill that, at least in theory, eases part of the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba was absolutely expected, but so was the reaction from Havana. In fact, last week when the Senate approved the measure to allow the sale of food and medicine to Cuba, the government here organized a huge protest march. Nearly 1 million people, in fact, took part in that. Cuba says that the new legislation is a farce, a kind of a political Trojan horse which appears to improve trade possibilities with Cuba when it, in fact, leaves things the same or, in Havana's words, worse. The main objections are, first, that the legislation prohibits Cuba from obtaining any kind of American public or private financing from the United States to purchase food and medicine -- so, no credit, in other words. It does not allow Cuba to sell to the U.S., only to buy; and, lastly, it further restricts the number of Americans who can travel legally to the communist island. So, basically, Brian, Cuba's position is, thanks for nothing. This is Lucia Newman, reporting live from Havana.</s>NELSON: Thank you Lucia.
Cuba Scoffs at U.S. Legislation Allowing America to Sell it Food, Medicine