The United States president, Bill Clinton, has extended the suspension of a legal provision allowing US companies to sue firms dealing in properties seized after the Cuban revolution.

In a statement, a White House spokesman , Joe Lockhart, said the decision to suspend the provision in the Helms Burton law was taken to help promote a transition to democracy on the island.

Correspondents say President Clinton has regularly used his authority to suspend the right to sue to avoid angering countries, such as Europe Union members and Canada, that trade regularly with Cuba.

The extension of the waiver comes despite the on-going custody battle between Washington and Havana over six-year old Elian Gonzalez.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service