Havana - Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage said on the eve of elections in the United States that the world needs a US president who is rational and intelligent, rather than mad.

"That can't be too much to ask," said Lage, who is considered a supporter of economic liberalization on the communist-ruled island.

He spoke at the opening of a trade fair in Havana.

US President George W Bush, who leaves office in January after eight years, has been a harsh critic of the Cuban regime.

Among the major-party candidates to succeed him, fellow Republican John McCain has generally vowed to continue the US hard line, including the 50-year-old embargo, while Democrat Barack has voiced a more flexible policy. (dpa)