Dissident welcomes Bush's support but sees little new in Cuba initiatives

[Say_What]

<clips>

HAVANA (AP) One of Cuba's best-known former political prisoners welcomed President Bush's support for the island's opposition Friday, but didn't see much new in the initiatives.

Vladimiro Roca is a former military pilot who broke with the government more than a decade ago and began calling for a Western-style democracy. He spoke after President Bush directed administration officials to recommend ways to achieve a transition to democracy in Cuba after 44 years under Fidel Castro.

``Bush's words are moral support for us,'' Roca said. Still, he said, Bush's message contained ``very little new.''

Roca and three other activists were arrested in July 1997 for publishing a document that criticized Cuba's Communist Party and Castro's government. Roca was released from prison in May 2002 just two months early of his five-year sentence.

http://cbsnewyork.com/international/Cuba-US-Reax-ai/resources_news_html