Between 17th and 19th September 2004, a session of the International Committee for Democracy in Cuba took place at the Czech Senate. The session was held under the patronage of Minister of Foreign Affairs Cyril Svoboda, confirming the long term activities of the Czech Republic with regard to the violation of democracy and human rights in Cuba.

Minister Svoboda personally participated in the event and made an address in the framework of the first block of the session.

International Committee for Democracy in Cuba was founded in September 2003 by important personalities of international political and cultural scene. The foundation of ICDC was launched by Václav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic. ICDC was founded as a response to the recent swoop of the Cuban regime against democratic opposition in March 2003. During the swoop 75 representatives of opposition and independent journalists were detained and imprisoned. ICDC aims at wide political solidarity with democratic activists in Cuba. ICDC looks for possibilities to logistic and financial support for democratic opposition in Cuba. A support for every initiative in Cuba aiming at the respect of human rights and endeavour to joint approach of European and Latin American states against the regime of Castro is an objective of ICDC too. The seat of ICDC is in Prague in the secretariat provided by the non governmental organization People in Need.

To look for possibilities of effective support for Cuban democratic opposition and the unification of attitudes of European and South American states to Cuba were the main targets of the session. A panel discussion about political and economic transformation in the post-totalitarian countries as possible model for democratic changes in Cuba was a part of the session too. The International Network of Parlamentarians for Democracy in Cuba was established in the Prague Summit. A declaration of the International Commisssion of Parlamentarians can be found here.

The Prague Memorandum approved at the end of the Summit. The memorandum contents definite steps to support for democracy in Cuba.

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Membership of the International Committee

Marcos Aguinis, Argentina - writer
Madeleine Albright, USA - former Secretary of State
Patricio Aylwin, Chile - former president
Elena Bonner, Rusko/USA - former disident (widow of A. Sacharov)
Violeta Chamorro, Nikaragua - former president
Philip Dimitrov, Bulgaria - former prime minister
Ján Figel, Slovakia - EU commissioner
André Glucksmann, France - philosopher
Arpád Göncz, Hungary - former president
Václav Havel, Czech Republic - former president
Enrique Krauze, Mexico - writer
Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, USA - former ambassador to the UN
Mart Laar, Estonsko - former prime minister
Luis Alberto Lacalle, Urugay - former president
Cecilia Malmström, Sweden - deputy of European Parliament
Edward McMillan-Scott, Great Britain - deputy of European Parliament
Markus Meckel, Germany - former foreign minister
Adam Michnik, Poland - former disident a editor-in chief of Gazeta Wyborcza daily
Luis Alberto Monge Alvarez, Costa Rica - former president
Karel Schwarzenberg, the Czech Republic - former president International Helsinki Committe for Human Rights
Mario Vargas Llosa, Peru - writer
Matti Wuori, Finland - deputy of European Parliament

unofficial translation