A commission made up of three Brazilian organizations and political parties have presented the U.S. Consul in Rio de Janeiro with a petition signed by 200 political and intellectual personalities in the country demanding an end to the U.S. blockade against Cuba. The Communist Party of Brazil, the Workers Confederation, the Jose Marti Cultural Association, Brazil's Oil Workers Union, the Workers Party and the Brazilian Socialist Party are the main organizers of the protest. They described the U.S. blockade as "genocide against the Cuban people." While the petition was officially presented, a large demonstration was held outside the U.S. consulate in Rio de Janeiro. TML DAILY, 10/97 Shawgi Tell Graduate School of Education University at Buffalo [EMAIL PROTECTED]