For that reason, Mr. Clinton initially opposed the Helms-Burton bill.
Despite House passage of the Helms-Burton bill to tighten the embargo, which the Administration has said it will veto, moderate Cuban-American voices are making themselves heard.
Reversing policy, he signed the Helms-Burton bill, which punishes foreign companies for investing in Cuba.
The latest example is the Helms-Burton bill on foreign businesses operating in Cuba, which has embittered European countries, Canada and Mexico.
I also committed to signing a version of the Helms-Burton bill, which stiffened the embargo against Cuba and restricted the President's authority to lift it without congressional approval.
At the moment the White House is fostering reconciliation with Vietnam, Congress is discussing the Helms-Burton bill to tighten the Cuba embargo.
Many said they were there to show support for Mr. Castro's efforts to derail the Helms-Burton bill in Congress, which seeks to tighten the economic embargo.
Helms-Burton bill In 1995, Burton authored legislation targeting foreign companies that did business with Cuba.
Both the economic embargo and the ban on direct flights were included in the Helms-Burton bill, which Mr. Clinton signed in March 1996.
Clinton Administration officials say they are reviewing the Helms-Burton bill to determine whether to support it.