According to Florida International University's annual survey on United States relations with Cuba, a small majority of Cuban-American residents of Miami-Dade County opposes the embargo of the communist island.

The FIU Cuba Poll, which the university has conducted since 1991, revealed that 52 percent of the 1,000 Cuban-American county residents surveyed are against the embargo imposed on Cuba over 50 years ago. Young Cuban-Americans in particular opposed the embargo, with 62 percent of 18-29-year-olds voicing their opposition.

Meanwhile, registered voters were about split on the issue, with 51 percent in favor of the embargo and 49 percent against it. When it came to voting for a politician who supported replacing the embargo "with a policy that increases support for independent business owners in Cuba," 57 percent of registered voters were "very/somewhat" on board.

Even more of those surveyed were in favor of improving diplomatic relations with Cuba. Sixty-eight percent of participants supported relations with the country, with support from 90 percent of the younger participants. In addition, of the registered voters surveyed, 53 percent of participants and 75 percent of younger participants said they would vote for a politician who supported reestablishing diplomatic relations with Cuba.

On June 4, José Ramón Cabañas, Havana, Cuba's representative in Washington, recommended that the U.S. government consider calls for rapprochement with the communist country.

"There is no relationship between what U.S. society does, feels and says," Cabañas, head of the Cuban Interests section, told reporters, according to EFE. "It does not reflect on what the authorities are doing. ... The [U.S.] government should reflect that interest of the will of civil society."

Cabañas added that Cuba never asked for the embargo and that the country "is open to having a normal relationship."

"We've waited 55 years, and if nothing is decided we will wait 55 more and when 22 U.S. presidents have come and gone after the revolution ... we'll sit down and talk," he said.

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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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