Conference in support of Cuban dissidents

A conference in Prague aimed at supporting the Cuban dissident movement has called for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners. The event, which has brought together several former European and American heads of state and government, is organized by the International Committee for Democracy in Cuba at the initiative of the former president Vaclav Havel. Representatives of several countries at the summit said that their governments should instruct their embassies in Cuba to help those persons who work for the establishment of democratic values on the island. The former Czech president Vaclav Havel described Cuba as a giant prison and called for international mobilization to help bring about change. "We have to ring alarm bells," Mr. Havel said, "with every additional signature and every new conference we make another step towards freedom in Cuba."