Congress delegation in Cuba to "learn and talk"

By Jeff Franks

HAVANA (Reuters) - Members of the U.S. House of Representatives arrived in Havana on Friday to meet with Cuban officials in a sign of accelerating efforts to improve U.S.-Cuban relations.

Representative Barbara Lee said the group of seven Democrats came with no messages from President Barack Obama or proposals for the Cubans but simply to "see what the possibilities are."

"We're here to learn and talk and to see if there are any issues we need to communicate back to our government," she told reporters.

The congressional delegation is the first from the United States known to have come to Cuba since Obama took office in January.

"Change is in the air and our president, of course, talks very clearly about bilateral relations with all countries in the world," said Lee.

The five-day visit comes as the U.S. House and Senate prepare to consider bills that would eliminate a ban on Americans traveling to Cuba that is part of a trade embargo imposed on the island by the United States since 1962.

Obama has said he would ease the embargo but not eliminate it until Cuba shows progress toward democracy and greater human rights.

Obama also has called for dialogue with Cuba as part of a move toward normalization of relations that have been hostile since a 1959 revolution put Fidel Castro in power and transformed the island into what is now one of the world's last communist countries.

Obama's more conciliatory approach to Cuba, after eight years of hardline policies by the Bush administration, has sparked hope for change among Cubans and Americans opposed to a U.S. embargo policy that has failed to achieve its goal of toppling the Cuban government.

Lee said the delegation hoped to discuss a range of topics with Cuban officials but their agenda was not yet fully set.

"We've asked to meet with key ministries that affect trade, commerce, tourism, agriculture -- all those key areas we believe the American public would be interested in understanding and knowing about," she said.

The U.S. delegation is made up of members of the Congressional Black Caucus, with the exception of Representative Mike Honda, a spokeswoman said.

(Editing by Pascal Fletcher and John O'Callaghan)