Some bilateral projects have been delayed indefinitely, he said.

Canada intends to maintain ``constructive dialogue'' with Cuba but wants to send a clear message that it disapproves of President Fidel Castro's apparent unwillingness to accept dissidence in Cuban politics, spokesman Christian Girouard said.

Canada is Cuba's leading economic partner with bilateral trade reaching an estimated $485 million in 1998.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman said an accord signed in 1997 with Cuba is currently under review.

Meanwhile, spokeswoman Cynthia Morel of the Canadian International Development Agency said most bilateral development projects with Cuba that are in the planning stages have also been postponed.

The March 16 sentencing to prison of four Cuban dissidents has drawn strong criticism from Ottawa, even throwing into question Canada's support for restoring Cuban participation in the Organization of American States.

``We've indicated that if you're going to be a member of the hemispheric community, then you have to play by those rules,'' Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy said in March, just after the dissidents were sentenced.

``The willingness to accept some form of political dissent or difference of opinion is one of those rules,'' he said. ``We'll be reviewing some of the discussions we started last January about the hemispheric integration.''

Canadian officials have admitted privately to being embarrassed by the trial of the dissidents.

Copyright © 1999 The Miami Herald