HAVANA -- Britain's top minister for the caribbean said on saturday her government expected cuba to acknowledge a dissident petition demanding reforms in the one-party communist state.

baroness amos, the foreign office minister responsible for the caribbean, had breakfast with four leading dissidents on saturday, at the end of a three-day visit to cuba.

among them was oswaldo paya, who last month handed in to cuba's national assembly a petition signed by more than 11,000 people seeking a referendum on extending civil liberties.

amos met on friday with the president of the legislative body, ricardo alarcon.

"he indicated it was unclear exactly what was being asked for, but our position is that, clearly, the constitution needs to be respected," amos told reporters later.

"(alarcon) said there needed to be a considered and serious response from the cuban government and that there would be. we will wait to see what that response is," she said.

so far, president fidel castro's government has ignored he petition, know as the varela project, and on saturday launched its own drive to gather millions of signatures for constitutional amendments that would make the communist state "untouchable." the varela project seeks a popular vote to ask cubans if they favor civil liberties such as freedom of expression and assembly, the right to own a business, electoral reform and an amnesty for political prisoners.

during her visit, the baroness also asked cuba to address difficulties that european investors are facing doing business in cuba, which opened up to foreign capital in joint ventures after the collapse of the soviet union a decade ago.

"i drew to the attention of the government the fact that the european union has produced a report looking at some of the barriers and restraints to investment here," she said.

"i urged the government to look at those seriously, particularly if they are hoping to get more investment from the eu," she said.

european businessmen complained of bureaucratic obstacles, the lack of stable rules and problems in collecting payments from the cash-strapped cuban state.

amos signed a prisoner transfer agreement that will allow britons jailed in cuba, and cubans jailed in britain, to serve out terms in their home country. there are three britons in jail in cuba, one for a traffic accident and two on drug charges.

another accord amos signed will use cuban medical expertise and british resources to fight aids in the democratic republic of congo, a pilot project that could be repeated elsewhere in africa if successful.