LAWRENCE -- U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) will talk on "The Future of the U.S. Embargo of Cuba" at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, in 100 Smith Hall at the University of Kansas. His talk is open to the public.

The senator offered to come to KU and meet with students for a discussion of his position on liberalizing trade with Cuba after he was contacted by a student in a graduate seminar on Latin America's political economy.

Cuba is one of primary focuses of the seminar, taught by Elizabeth Kuznesof, director of KU's Center of Latin American Studies. Because the topic of trade with Cuba is of great interest, Kuznesof said she decided to open Robert's talk to the public also.

Twelve students are enrolled in the graduate level course and three are writing papers on Cuba. Michael Hermes, Latin American studies graduate student from Overland Park who contacted Roberts, is writing about the possibilities of ending a 40-year U.S. embargo on trade with Cuba.

"Sen. Roberts has been an advocate of re-establishing trade relations with Cuba," Kuznesof said. "This is especially interesting since Roberts is a Republican."

Students in the class are preparing questions regarding the future of trade relations with Cuba to ask Roberts following his talk.