Participants

• Agüero, María Elena (USA)

• is the Director of Special Projects and Institutional Relations of the Club of Madrid, Spain. The Club of Madrid is an independent organization dedicated to strengthening democracy around the world by drawing on the experiences and resources of its members- 56 former heads of state and government.

• Andreescu, Gabriel (Romania)

• is the Director of the Center for International Studies (Romania), a nonprofit organization established in 1994. The Center has been particularly active in promoting Romanian-Hungarian Relations, and developing investigations in the field of freedom of religion. In 2001, the Center established “The Pedro Luis Boitel Award Network of Eastern European Countries,” dedicated to the support of the Cuban democratic opposition.

• Arias, Pablo (Spain)

• is the assistant to the President of FAES (the Foundation for Analysis and Social Studies), a People’s Party think tank founded in 2003.

• Armas, Francisco Javier (Puerto Rico)

• is a member of the Christian Liberation Movement (MCL) and represents the organization’s activities outside of Cuba. This involves representing Oswaldo Paya Sardiñas at activities outside of Cuba and facilitating communication between Mr. Paya and the international community.

• Bambasova, Helena (Czech Republic)

• is the General Director of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Bandera, Claudio (San Marino)

• is the Vice Chairman of the Unione Forze Republicane (San Marino), and is responsible for the foreign department.

• Benakova, Nora (Slovakia)

• is the Director of the People in Peril Association (PIPA), a nonprofit organization founded in May 1999. PIPA tries to build public awareness of and support for the implementation of humanitarian and development projects around the world, in particular concerning Cuba. In cooperation with the Pontis Foundation, PIPA also organizes public collections to support the families of Cuban political prisoners.

• Bojer, Jorgen (Denmark)

• is the Danish Ambassador to the Czech Republic (2001-). His previous positions have included: representative of Denmark to the UN (1997-2001), Ambassador to Egypt (1987-1992) and Austria (1993-1997).

• Bolio, Rene Halloran (Mexico)

• is a Deputy Senator (Mexico) and a member of Mexico’s National Action Party. He has been involved in the Cuban issue since a young age and is additionally President and founder of the Mexican NGO, the International Promoter of Human Rights.

• Brana, Aida Vazquez (USA)

• is a volunteer working for Of Human Rights (USA), a non-profit organization based in Washington DC that advocates human rights in Cuba and provides assistance and support to those whose human rights have been abused.

• Bratský, Petr (Czech Republic)

• is a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Czech Parliament. Since 2002, he has been a member of the Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Committee. He is also a member of the Parliamentary Delegation for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

• Brož, Víctor (Croatia)

• is the Croatian Ambassador to the Czech Republic.

• Bruelhart, Wolfgang Amadeus (Switzerland)

• is the Director of the Human Rights Department at the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Bubeník, Jan (Czech Republic)

• During the 1989 Velvet Revolution, Jan Bubenik was one of the principal student leaders and later served as the youngest member of the first federal parliament. At present, he is a senior level executive with Bubeník Partners (Czech Republic) and is Chairman of the Board of the Leadership Forum, an NGO promoting principles of business ethics and corporate governance.

• Calzón, Frank (Cuba)

• is the Executive Director of the Center for a Free Cuba (USA), a nonprofit human rights and pro-democracy organization founded in 1997. The Center promotes democratic values and democratic transition through the gathering and disseminating of information about Cuba and Cubans in the media, to NGOs and in the international community.

• Canning, Mark (USA)

• is the Deputy Political Counselor at the American Embassy to the Czech Republic.

• Carceller Ibarra, Rigoberto (Cuba)

• is the founder of both The Family Bridge with Cuba (Spain) and the Movimiento Liberación en Cuba. He is a former political prisoner who was deported to Spain in 1993. The Family Bridge with Cuba (founded in 1996) is a non-profit humanitarian organization that has assisted more than 40 000 Cuban families with the voluntary help of 30 000 Spanish tourists for the past eight years.

• Carnero, Alberto (Spain)

• is the Director of the International Department of FAES (the Foundation for Analysis and Social Studies), a People’s Party think tank founded in 2003.

• Carreras, Ricardo (Spain)

• is the President of Campaigns International (USA).

• Castaño Contreras, Cristian (Mexico)

• assisted in the creation of The International Promoter of Human Rights (Mexico) and is the Director of the Mexican Youth Institute. A member of Mexico’s National Action Party, he has been involved in the Cuban issue since a very young age.

• Cervone, Anna Maria Stame (Italy)

• is the Vice President of the International Christian Democratic Party (IDC). She is the representative for the IDC to the United Nations.

• Céspedes, Javier de (Cuba)

• is co-founder and President of the Cuban Democratic Directorate (USA), founded in 1990 at the International Congress of Cuban Youth for a Free Cuba. The Directorate provides direct support to the democratic movement in Cuba, and is helping to build international committees of solidarity for democracy in Cuba.

• Colas, Ramón Humberto (Cuba)

• founded the Independent Libraries of Cuba (USA), a project that has a network of over one hundred libraries in Cuba. The project aims to promote the development of civil society and democracy in Cuba, through the promotion of reading without censorship, while supporting free access to information.

• Cortes Jiménez, Rodrigo (Mexico)

• is a member of the Mexican Parliament, and a member of both the Defense and Foreign Affairs Committees. He is the director and founder of the international magazine Centro Humanista, founded in 2002. In addition, he has worked as a professor at a number of Mexican universities.

• Dean, Brian (USA)

• is the Regional Director of the International Republican Institute (USA). The Institute was established in 1983, and is dedicated to advancing democracy worldwide. IRI conducts a wide range of international programs to promote and strengthen democratic ideals and institutions.

• DeMar, Rebecca (USA)

• is a program assistant at the National Democratic Institution for International Affairs (NDI) in the USA, a nonprofit organization which works to strengthen and expand democracy worldwide. Calling on a network of volunteer experts, NDI provides practical assistance to those civic and political leaders advancing democratic values, practices and institutions.

• De Mingo, Vicente (Spain)

• is the General Coordinator of the Eurociudadana Network (Spain), which was formed by a range of organizations and individuals with the aim of facilitating new approaches to civil society. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Club Enlace, Europe 2000 and a professor in the Faculty of Law at Complutense University, in Madrid.

• Del Toro, Marilú (Cuba)

• is the Communications Director and a member of the executive committee of the Cuban Democratic Directorate. (USA) The CDD is a non-profit organization based in Miami that promotes the respect for human rights in Cuba and works to bring democratic change to the island.

• Dlouha, Gabriela (Czech Republic)

• is the Head of the Unit for Transition Promotion at the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Dubón, Alvaro Manolo (Guatemala)

• is a Guatemalan member of the Central American Parliament. He is also President of the Central American Democratic Alliance, a coalition of conservative political parties in the Central American Parliament. Since 2002, he has been President of the Guatemalan Committee in Solidarity with Democracy in Cuba and is a founding member of Parlamentarios por la Libertad (Parliamentarians for Freedom).

• Dvorak, Martin (Czech Republic)

• is a Counselor at the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Ehrenberg, Henrik (Sweden)

• is the Chairman of the Swedish Christian Democratic Council for Democracy and Development. Since 1991, he has been working with projects supporting democratization in Central and Eastern Europe, Southern Africa, Nepal and Cuba.

• Eikosipentarchos, Vassilios (Greece)

• is the Ambassador of Greece to the Czech Republic.

• Fondevila, Orlando (Cuba)

• is a writer and journalist for the Cuban Hispanic Magazine (Revista Hispano Cubana- Spain), founded in 1998, a publication that combines information on politics, culture and arts with a commitment to the defense of freedom, democracy and human rights in Cuba.

• Fornés-Bonavía Dolz, Leopoldo (Cuba)

• is the Deputy Treasurer of the Cuban Human Rights Committee (Spain).

• Franco, Adolfo A. (USA)

• is the Assistant Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean. USAID is the independent federal agency responsible for planning and managing U. S. foreign economic and humanitarian assistance around the world.

• Franqui, Carlos (Puerto Rico)

• is Editor-in-Chief for Carta de Cuba (Puerto Rico), a quarterly journal of news and reports from independent journalists focused on Cuba.

• Gainza Solenzal, Alexis (Sweden)

• is the founder and member of the Board of Directors of the Scandinavian Nobel Prize Committee for Oswaldo Paya Sardiñas, an independent organization founded in 2002. The Committee supports civic initiatives inside Cuba and maintains that the Cuban democracy and human rights activist Oswaldo Paya Sardiñas should be awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize.

• Gamez, Blanca (Mexico)

• is a member of the Mexican Parliament. She is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Committee on Childhood, Adolescence and Families.

• Garrido, Angel Ernesto (Cuba)

• is the Vice-President of the Lawton Foundation for Human Rights, founded in 1997 in Cuba. The Lawton Foundation for Human Rights (USA) is a nongovernmental organization based upon the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its purpose is to promote the study, defense, and denunciation of human rights violations in Cuba.

• Gonzalez, Carlos (Chile)

• works for the Czech NGO People in Need (Czech Republic). He is also a journalist focusing on the Cuban situation; he co-established broadcasting of Czech radio to Cuba and during one of his visits to the island filmed a documentary “Cuban Spring”.

• Gonzalez Carrillo, Adriana (Mexico)

• is a member of the Mexican Parliament. He is a member of the National Defense Committee, and is President of the Foreign Affairs Committee. In addition, he was a member of the Permanent Commission of the National Council (2002—2004).

• Gutierrez, Orlando (Cuba)

• is the National Secretary of the Cuban Democratic Directorate (USA), founded in 1990 at the International Congress of Cuban Youth for a Free Cuba. The Directorate provides direct support to the democratic movement in Cuba, and helps to build international committees of solidarity with democracy in Cuba.

• Hatiar, Peter (Slovakia)

• is the Slovak Ambassador to the Czech Republic.

• Hrda, Edita (Czech Republic)

• is the Director of the Department of Americas in the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Hrusovský, Pavol (Slovakia)

• is the President of the Slovak Parliament (since 2002). In 1989 he was elected a deputy of the Federal Assembly of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic. Since 1992, he has been a member of the Slovak Parliament, where he was a member of the Constitutional, Mandate and Immunity Committees.

• Hybaskova, Jana(Czech Republic)

• is an MEP for the Czech Republic, whose previous political positions have included Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Slovenia (1997—2001), Ambassador and Advisor for European Affairs (2001—2002), and Ambassador to Kuwait and Qatar (2002—2004).

• Janu, Ivana (Czech Republic)

• is a Judge on the Czech Constitutional Court. Previously, she served as Ad Litem Judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

• Jennische, Erik (Sweden)

• is the Secretary General of the Swedish International Liberal Centre (SILC), a nonprofit organization founded in the late 1980s. SILC supports the building of democracy by improving the citizen’s participation in the democratization process through cooperation with youth organizations, women’s organizations, human rights groups, political parties and the independent media.

• Jerabkova, Vera (Czech Republic)

• is Director of the Human Rights Department at the Czech Minstry of Foreign Affairs.

• Kamínek, Jan (Czech Republic)

• works in the Human Rights Department at the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Klanova, Ivana (Czech Republic)

• is the 2nd Secretary at the Czech Embassy to the USA. During the conference, she was working in the Department of the Americas in the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Kolar, Petr (Czech Republic)

• has been Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Czech Republic since 2003. His former positions have included Ambassador to Sweden (1996—1998), Advisor for European Integration and the Balkans at the Office of the Czech President (1998—1999) and Czech Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland (1999—2003).

• Korka, Meelis (Estonia)

• is Third Secretary at the Estonian Embassy to the Czech Republic.

• Kosatka, Martin (Czech Republic)

• is the Ambassador to Spain for the Czech Republic.

• Kroupa, Daniel (Czech Republic)

• is a Czech Senator and a member of the Senate Committee on Education, Science, Culture, Human Rights and Petitions. Since 1977, Mr Kroupa was active in the dissident movement Charter 77. He was a member of the Permanent Delegation of the Czech Parliament to the European Parliament in 2003—2004. Daniel Kroupa teaches political philosophy at the Charles University, Prague.

• Kubanek, Zdeněk (Czech Republic)

• is the Head of the Latin American Division at the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Landero Gutiérrez, Francisco (Mexico)

• has been involved in the Cuban issue since a very young age. He is presently a Mexican legislator, a member of Mexico’s National Action Party and he was involved in the creation of Mexican NGO, The International Promoter of Human Rights.

• Lann, Elisabet (Sweden)

• Swedish Christian Democratic Council for Democracy and Development (Sweden), is a project officer for the CDD, an organization which works with local partners to assist longterm development of those parties with similar philosophies to the Christian Democratic ideology. CDD has been working with the Cuban Movimiento Cristiano Liberación and Oswaldo Paya since 2002.

• Lednova, Michaela (Czech Republic)

• is a project officer for the Pontis Foundation (Slovakia). Established in 2001, the Pontis Foundation supports a civic dimension to foreign policy and informs the public about human rights and the development of democracy, by utilizing the Slovakia’s own experience with communism and transition to democracy.

• Llano, Gabriel Joaquín (Argentina)

• has been a member of the Argentinean Parliament since 2001. He is also a prominent attorney, Vice-President of the Freedom of Speech Commission and a founding member of the Joint Commission of European and Latin American Parliamentarians in support of Democracy in Cuba.

• Lovdal, John (Norway)

• was an Executive Officer in The Norwegian Atlantic Committee and is now the International Secretary and adviser for the Norwegian Christian Democratic Party (KrF).

• Malysheva, Julia (Russia)

• is the Vice-President of the Youth Union of Right (democratic) Forces, a member of a municipal council and an expert at the Institute for the Economy in Transition. The Union of Right Forces is a democratic political party founded in 1999 by leading Russian reformers. The party stands for the protection of democratic institutions and continuation of liberal reforms.

• Martínez, Gutenberg (Chile)

• Democratic Organization of the Americas (Chile), is President of the Christian Democratic Organization of the Americas, and is one of the key leaders of the Chilean Christian Democratic Party. He is a former president of the Chilean Congress and his wife, Soledad Alvear, is the Foreign Minister of Chile.

• Martínez-Corbalan, Javier (Spain)

• is the General Secretary of the Cuban Hispanic Foundation (Hispano Cubana Foundation), a nonprofit organization, dedicated to supporting freedom and democracy, and to strengthening the historical and cultural links between Spain and Cuba. The Foundation awards the International Prize for Human Rights of the FHC.

• Martinho, Ana (Portugal)

• is the Portuguese Ambassador to the Czech Republic.

• Mendez Castro, María (Costa Rica)

• is the President and one of the founders of the Costa Rican Committee for Solidarity with Democracy in Cuba, which was founded in May 2003 by Costa Ricans, and which aims to raise awareness of the difficult problems that Cuban citizens are dealing with and to find civic, diplomatic and political support in Costa Rica. She is also a member of the Christian Social Unity Party.

• Merlo, Damian (USA)

• is a program officer for the Mexico, Cuba, and Brazil International Republican Institute programs (IRI). The Institute was established in April 1983 and is dedicated to advancing democracy worldwide through the implementation of international programs providing training on such issues as civic responsibility, the legislative process for newly elected government officials and the mechanics of organizing political parties and election campaigns.

• Montaner, Carlos Alberto (Cuba)

• International Liberal Union (Spain), was born in Havana and has lived in Spain since 1970. He is the author of more than twenty books, and a weekly columnist for several newspapers from Latin America, Spain and United Status. He is the President of the Cuban Liberal Union, and the Vice President of the International Liberal Union.

• Moragas, Jorge (Spain)

• is a member of the Spanish Parliament. He is the executive secretary of International Relations for the People’s Party, and is a member of the Committee of Foreign Affairs, the Committee for International Cooperation and Development and the National Executive Committee.

• Morée, Peter (Netherlands)

• is active in human rights organizations such as Cuba Futuro, Pax Christi Netherlands, the Dutch Helsinki Committee, the International Helsinki Federation. Cuba Futuro coordinates those activities in the Netherlands that concern human rights in Cuba and lobby the government and the public in favor of a free and democratic Cuba.

• Mutchler, David Edward (USA)

• is a U. S. Senior Foreign Service officer who has directed the USAID Cuba Program since 1997. USAID is the independent federal agency responsible for planning and managing U. S. foreign economic and humanitarian assistance around the world.

• Nagy, Laszlo (Slovakia)

• is a member of the Slovak Parliament. He is Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights, National Minorities and the Status of Women and was a permanent member of the Slovak Republic Delegation to the European Parliament.

• Nič, Milan (Slovakia)

• is the co-founder and director of the Institute for Civic Diplomacy at the Pontis Foundation (Slovakia). Established in 2001, the Pontis Foundation supports a civic dimension to foreign policy and informs the public about human rights and the development of democracy, by utilizing the Slovakia’s own experience with communism and transition to democracy.

• Nieto-Rasinski, David Eduardo (Poland)

• is a PhD student at the Department of International Affairs at the University of Wroclaw and director of El Universo, the Center of Spanish Language and Iberian-American Culture. He cooperates with PIN and since 2003 with the Helsinki Foundation of Human Rights (Poland). He has published several articles in journals and books on International Relations.

• Novackova, Magdalena (Czech Republic)

• represents the Canadian Embassy to the Czech Republic.

• O’Brien, Robert (USA)

• works at the Center for a Free Cuba (USA), an independent, nonprofit human rights and pro-democracy organization founded in November 1997. The Center promotes democratic values and democratic transition through the gathering and disseminating information about Cuba and Cubans to the media, NGOs and the international community.

• Ouzký, Miroslav (Czech Republic)

• is the Vice-President of the European Parliament (since 2004). His previous political positions include Vice- President of the Parliament’s Bureau, member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, and substitute for the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

• Palomares, Cristina (Spain)

• is a program coordinator at the international department of FAES, the Foundation for Analysis and Social Studies (Spain), a People’s Party think tank which was founded in 2003.

• Palous, Martin (Czech Republic)

• was appointed Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States in 2001. Mr. Palous was one of the first signatories of Charter 77 and served as spokesman for this dissident human rights group in 1986. Mr. Palous is the author of numerous publications, including the chapter on the Czech Republic in the European Commission publication Democratization in Central and Eastern Europe; Totalitarianism and Authoritarianism.

• Pérez-Crespo, Nancy T. (Cuba)

• is the director of the New Cuban Press (Nueva Prensa Cubana-NPC), founded in 1995 by Raúl Rivero and a group of dissident journalists in order to provide an alternative to Cuba’s state-owned media. NPC acts as an umbrella organization for the independent press movement and facilitates the development of independent press agencies through which to distribute news about Cuba to and from the island.

• Pilip, Ivan (Czech Republic)

• is the Vice President of the European Investment Bank (Luxembourg). In addition, he is a former Member of Parliament, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Education, Youth and Sports for the Czech Republic.

• Pithart, Petr (Czech Republic)

• has served as President of the Czech Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic from 1996 to 1998, and from 2000 to the present. An active dissident and founding member of the Charter 77 initiative, he went on to co-found the Civic Forum (1989). Between 1990 and 1992, Petr Pithart also served as Prime Minister of the Czech Republic.

• Pojar, Tomas (Czech Republic)

• is the director of the Czech human rights and humanitarian aid organization People in Need. He is a long-time political activist and is a major voice for human rights in the Czech Republic.

• Pujol, Joaquin Pierre (USA)

• is one of the founders and executive board members of the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy (USA). The Association is a non-profit, nonpolitical organization, which provides a forum for the study of the Cuban economy, with particular emphasis on the financial, economic, social, legal and environmental aspects. Both as they are today and as they could evolve in the process of transition.

• Ramirez, Hipolito (Dominican Republic)

• is a representative of the non-governmental organization, the Patriotic Youth of the Dominican Republic.

• Rasco, José Ignacio (Cuba)

• founded the Cuban Christian Democratic Party in 1959 and it is now its honorary President and secretary of International Relations. He is a professor, writer and columnist. In addition, he is President of the Jacques Maritain Institute of Cuba and also President of Editorial Cubana.

• Reedova, Markéta (Czech Republic)

• is the Chief of Staff for Josef Zieleniec, a Czech Member of the European Parliament.

• Reinfeld, Richard (Germany)

• is an official in the Brandenburg Ministry of Finance, and is working on the subjects of human rights and foreign aid in the office of Arnold Vaatz, Member of Parliament and Vice-President of CDU/CSU-parliamentary party. CDU is the Christian/conservative political party in Germany.

• Rimasauskaite, Daiva (Lithuania)

• is a Counselor at the Lithuanian Embassy in Czech Republic.

• Rodriguez, Annabelle (Cuba)

• is the co-founder and president of the Association for the Preservation of Cuban Culture. The Association’s primary goal is to contribute to the development of the practice of democracy among Cubans, so that the country can begin to make peaceful strides towards an open and pluralistic society that respects human rights.

• Roduit, Gilles (Switzerland)

• is the Head of the Department of the Americas at the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Rouček, Libor (Czech Republic)

• is a member of the European Parliament for the Czech Republic. He is also currently serving as a Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

• Rubio, Rafael (Spain)

• is the president of the Cuba in Transition Association, based in Spain.

• Ruiz, Fernando Javier (Argentina)

• is Professor of Journalism, Democracy, and the History of Communications at Austral University, Argentina. His research focuses on journalism, democracy, and dictatorships. His most recent publication is Report on the New Cuban Press (2003).

• Ruml, Jan (Czech Republic)

• has been the Vice President of the Czech Senate since 2000. His previous political positions have included Deputy Minister of the Interior (1990—1992), Minister of the Interior (1992—1996) and member of the Senate (1998—2000). An active dissident of the Velvet Revolution, he was a signatory of Charter 77 and a key figure in the Civic Forum. He was involved in the creation of newspapers Lidové noviny and Respekt.

• Sabatini, Christopher Anthony (USA)

• is the Senior Program Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). NED is a private, nonprofit organization created in 1983 to strengthen democratic institutions around the world through nongovernmental efforts. NED is active in eighty countries throughout the world, and last year received appropriation from the U. S. Congress totaling $40 million.

• Salafranca, Jose Ignacio (Spain)

• is a Spanish MEP. He is a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and former Chairman of the European Parliament Delegations for Relations with the countries of Central America, Mexico and Cuba (1996—1999) and the countries of South America and Mercosur (1995).

• Salas, Frederico (Mexico)

• Embassy of the United Mexican States (Czech Republic), is the Mexican Ambassador to the Czech Republic.

• Salas-del Valle, Hans de (USA)

• is a Research Associate of the Cuba Transition Project (CTP), in the University of Miami. Founded in 2001, the CTP brings together leading international scholars to study the experience of transition to democracy and a free market in formerly authoritarian or totalitarian regimes.

• Salvia, Gabriel C. (Argentina)

• is a journalists and the General Director of The Center for the Opening and Development of Latin America/Centro para la Apertura y el Desarrollo de América Latina (CADAL), a foundation that aims at the promotion and strengthening of the democracy, state of law and economical liberties in the region. He is the director of the documentary „El periodismo independiente en Cuba” and the program „El debate sobre Cuba en Latinoamérica”.

• Schennink, Hijke (Netherlands)

• works for Cuba Futuro, a Dutch NGO founded by Liduine Zumpolle and Jan ter Laak, both formerly active in Pax Christi Netherlands. Cuba Futuro coordinates those activities in the Netherlands that concern human rights in Cuba and lobby the government and the public in favor of a free and democratic Cuba.

• Silva, Exequiel (Chile)

• has been a Chilean MP for the Christian Democratic Party for the last ten years. His previous positions include Vice-President of the Parliament and Member of the Chilean Congress. He is a founding member of the Joint Commission of European and Latin American Parliamentarians in support of Democracy in Cuba.

• Sixto, Felipe Eduardo (USA)

• is Chief of Staff at the Center for a Free Cuba, an independent, not-for-profit human rights and pro-democracy organization founded in November 1997. The Center promotes democratic values and democratic transition through the gathering and disseminating of information about Cuba and Cubans to the media, NGOs and the international community.

• Slavikova, Eliska (Slovakia)

• is a Project manager for the People In Peril Association (Slovakia). PIPA tries to gain public awareness of and support for the implementation of humanitarian and development projects around the world, in particular concerning Cuba. In cooperation with the Pontis Foundation, PIPA organizes public collections to support the families of Cuban political prisoners.

• Soto, Jose (Chile)

• is the President of the Solidarity Committee for Cuba, an NGO based in Chile.

• Suarez Rivas, Juan (Cuba)

• is the co-founder of the Madrid-based Unión Liberal Cubana, a political party established in exile, with branches inside Cuba, which aims to convey the ideas of democracy, human rights, liberalism, and a market economy to the island. The ULC is a founding member of the Cuban Democratic Platform and is an active member of the Liberal International (LI).

• Svoboda, Cyril (Czech Republic)

• is the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2002. His previous posts have included First Deputy Prime Minister (2002 — 2004), Chairman of the Petitions Committee of the Czech Parliament’s Chamber of Deputies, Vice-Chairman of the European Commission of Democracy through Law (1998—2002) and Minister of the Interior (1998).

• Svoboda, Pavel (Czech Republic)

• is the Czech Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Legal and Consular Affairs. He is an Associate Professor for European Law, at the Faculty of Law — Charles University and a Guest Professor, University of Social Sciences, Toulouse, France. He is also an Expert Assistant, Department of European Law, Faculty of Law, Charles University .

• Tarajano, Beatriz S. (Costa Rica)

• is a member of the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy (ASCE) in the USA. The Association is a non-profit, nonpolitical organization, which provides a forum for the study of the Cuban economy in a broad sense, with particular emphasis on the financial, economic, social, legal and environmental aspects, both as they are today and as they could evolve in the process of transition.

• Tomov, Martin (Bulgaria)

• is the Bulgarian Ambassador to the Czech Republic.

• Tornikidis, Zuzana-Isabella (Czech Republic)

• represents the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Department of the Americas.

• Trobo, Jaime (Uruguay)

• is a Member of Parliament in Uruguay. He is the leader of the National Party and a founding member of Parliamentarians for Freedom, a coalition of parliamentarians who support democracy in Cuba. Thanks to his efforts, the Latin American Parliament last year agreed to investigate human rights in Cuba for the first time.

• Ullmer, Deborah (USA)

• works for the National Democratic Institution (NDI) in the USA, a nonprofit organization working to strengthen and expand democracy worldwide. Calling on a network of volunteer experts, NDI provides practical assistance to civic and political leaders advancing democratic values, practices and institutions.

• Utset, Xavier (USA)

• is a Senior Program Manager at Freedom House for the Cuban Democracy Project. Freedom House promotes human rights, democracy, free markets, and the rule of law. Launched in 1999, the Cuban Democracy Project provides support to members of Cuba’s pro-democracy movement through contact with counterparts from Europe and Latin America; and builds increased international solidarity towards democracy in Cuba.

• Vondra, Alexandr (Czech Republic)

• is the former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic (1992— 1997, 2002—2004), and is now the leader of the Program of Atlantic Security Studies (PASS). He was Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States (1997—2001) and Foreign Policy Advisor to the President (1990—1992). A signatory of Charter 77 and a founding member of the Civic Forum, in 1999 he was awarded the Democratic Service Medal by the National Endowment for Democracy.

• Wachtenheim, Marc L. (USA)

• is Program Manager at the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) in the USA. The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) is an independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase opportunity for the disadvantaged in Latin America and the Caribbean.

• Walker, Patricio (Chile)

• has been a member of the Chilean Parliament for the last six years and is leader of the Christian Democratic Party. In addition, he is a member of Congress and is a founding member of Parliamentarians for Freedom.

• Wickman, Eva (Norway)

• is Chargé D´Affaires at the Norwegian Embassy to the Czech Republic.

• Yang, Mazsing (Taiwan)

• is a long-time human right activist, Vice President of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and an important founder of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats established on 1993. Council members cover most of the democratic and reform political parties in South Asia and North Asia countries, and members share the basic values of liberal democracy with the strong conviction that these values will eventually contribute to better regional security and cooperation.

• Zahradil, Jan (Czech Republic)

• has been a Member of the European Parliament for the Czech Republic since 2004. He was elected a member of the Czech Parliament in 1998, at which point he became Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Deputy Chairman of the European Integration Committee.

• Zalesak, Tomas (Slovakia)

• is a policy advisor to the president of the National Council of Slovak Republic, a member of the University of Trnava, Philosophical Faculty, Department of Political Science.

• Zieleniec, Josef (Czech Republic)

• is an MEP for the Czech Republic since 2002 and the former Minister of Foreign Affairs (1993—1997). His previous positions include Deputy Prime Minister (1996—1997) and Deputy of the Parliament of the Czech Republic (1996). In 2000, he was elected to the Czech Senate, and he is a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

• Zumpolle, Liduine (Netherlands)

• is the founder of Cuba Futuro (Netherlands). Cuba Futuro is an NGO in the Netherlands founded by Liduine Zumpolle and Jan ter Laak, both formerly active in Pax Christi Netherlands. Cuba Futuro lobbies the government and the public in favor of a free and democratic Cuba.