Washington  - The US Chamber of Commerce Tuesday threw its weight behind a bill being introduced in the US Senate which would eliminate the ban on most US travel to the Caribbean island.

The bill, which has strong momentum in both parties, is seen as a first step towards reexamining the overall restrictions on US trade with the communist island.

"The US embargo on Cuba is a 50-year failure, and lifting the ban on travel is a good first step toward a more rational policy," said Myron Brilliant, a top official in the business group.

He said the policies have made "a martyr out of a tyrant" and actually helped support the regime because it has allowed Cuban leaders to blame their economic misery on the US, and not on what he called "Marxist mismanagement." (dpa)