US farm, port and medical groups have called on President George W Bush to implement last year's law allowing food and medicine sales to Communist-run Cuba.
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President Fidel Castro
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The broad coalition, including religious groups and former Republican government officials, wrote to Mr Bush urging him to issue the regulations needed for the sales to begin.
The law that eased the 37-year-old trade embargo against Cuba to allow food and medicine sales called for the rules to be in place by the end of February. The easing of the embargo was staunchly resisted last year by Cuban American politicians opposed to the Cuban President Mr Fidel Castro. They managed to curb its use by inserting a ban on private and public credit for sales to cash-strapped Cuba.
The Medical Device Manufacturers Association said it was worried by reports that Washington would maintain restrictions requiring end-use verification for medical products.
Rice growers and three ports in Louisiana and Texas, eager to rebuild their once-strong trade ties with Cuba, also signed the letter.
The coalition was led by Americans for Humanitarian Trade with Cuba, whose signatories included Mr David Rockefeller, former Federal Reserve Chairman Mr Paul Volcker, former CIA director Mr James Schlesinger, ex-US Trade Representative Ms Carla Hills and film directors Mr Oliver Stone and Mr Francis Ford Coppola.
The letter to the Bush administration came one day after a bipartisan group of 86 members of Congress co-sponsored a bill seeking more active aid for dissidents in Cuba.