A senior Cuban official termed cruel and inhumane new US measures to limit the flow of dollars to the Communist-run Caribbean island.

The tough new rules, published on Wednesday to take effect on June 30, allow Cuban-Americans to visit immediate relatives on the island only once every three years, instead of once per year. Visits can last no longer than 14 days.

Opponents of the sanctions in the United States say the Bush administration steps pander to Cuban-American voters in Florida, a key swing state in November's presidential election.

«These regulations are a harsh blow to the Cuban family,» Rafael Dausa, director of the Foreign Ministry's North America department, said on a state-run television talk show.

Dausa charged that under the regulations there were no exceptions for humanitarian concerns and the right of Cuban-Americans to visit uncles, aunts and cousins was banned entirely.

«This reflects the inhumane and cruel character of these measures,» he said.

US critics also say the sanctions hurt ordinary Cubans instead of the Cuban government, a position echoed by various commentators during Thursday's television show.