BY NANCY SAN MARTIN

  Vladimiro Roca, Cuba's most prominent political dissident and son of a longtime Communist Party leader, won an early release from prison Sunday and
  vowed that his commitment to the struggle for freedom in his homeland was as strong as ever.

  More than 50 friends, relatives and supporters were waiting for Roca when he arrived at his Havana home after a three-hour drive from the prison in
  central Cienfuegos province where he served almost five years on charges of sedition against President Fidel Castro's communist government.

  His wife, Magaly de Armas, handed her husband the keys to the house where he was arrested on July 15, 1997. Roca said he was elated to be back
  home but that he would continue his fight for greater freedom in his country.

  ''Dialogue and reconciliation without exclusion -- that has always been and will continue to be my mantra,'' Roca said in a telephone interview. ``The
  things that are good about this country, such as health and education, should not be touched. But the things that are bad, like the economy and lack of
  freedom, that must change.''

  Roca, 59, a tall man with salt and pepper hair, is one of the most important Cubans ever to break with Castro's government. He is the son of the late Blas
  Roca, for decades a Cuban Communist Party leader, and a former MiG fighter pilot, a position achieved only by the most trusted.

  A DECADE AGO

  Vladimiro Roca began calling for a Western-style democracy a decade ago, and was one of the four signers of a daring declaration criticizing the
  Communist Party's monopoly on power under Castro titled The Homeland belongs to us all.

  Roca's release came a week ahead of a scheduled visit to Cuba by former President Jimmy Carter, raising speculation that freeing Roca was a goodwill
  gesture on the part of the Havana government.

  Carter has made human rights a chief theme throughout his political career and publicly denounced abuses around the world, including in Cuba.

  ''Roca's release is a positive thing, but it has to do with Carter's visit, without a doubt,'' said Eloy Gutiérrez Menoyo, a former political prisoner who lives in
  Miami. ``It's one less gesture Carter will have to make when he goes to Havana. For the Cuban government, it will be a lot easier for Carter to see Roca
  at his house than in a prison.''

  Others saw a deeper purpose in Roca's release.

  ''Classic manipulation of victims,'' said Joe García, executive director of the Cuban American National Foundation, which recently sent a delegation to
  Atlanta to meet with Carter in preparation for his visit.

  ``This is exactly what we told Carter to be wary of. Any time an innocent man gets out of jail, that's good. But it doesn't mean the act itself is good.
  They're giving away hostages.''

  Roca said he did not believe his release was related to Carter's visit. Although his sentence was scheduled to end July 16, Roca said the early release
  was the result of guidelines in Cuban law that allow authorities to free inmates before they complete their sentences.

  ''I served my time,'' he said.

  ''He should have been released a long time ago,'' said Roca's stepdaughter Milady Castro, 33, who immigrated to the United States eight months ago.
  ``He didn't belong in jail. He did nothing wrong.''

  ''If there were a lot of people like my father in Cuba, there would be freedom of speech and much better lives,'' said Castro, who now lives in Tampa with
  her husband, and their two daughters, ages 6 and 1. ``But not everyone can confront problems in the same way. He has always stood by his ideals and
  always told us that he was prepared to go to prison if necessary.''

  AFTER DECLARATION

  Roca and three other activists -- engineer Félix Bonne Carcassés, attorney René Gómez Manzano and economist Marta Beatriz Roque -- were arrested
  after publishing the declaration that criticized Cuba's one-party system and Castro's government.

  Roca received the longest sentence, in 1999, on charges of sedition and threatening the nation's economy. The other three were released in May 2000
  after serving part of their terms, which ranged from 3 ½ to four years.

  Roca told The Herald that his first priority was to get up-to-date on current events, including the upcoming Carter visit, which he called ``positive.''

  ''Anytime you have a visit by a dignitary, especially someone like Carter who did good things for Cuba while he was president, it is a good thing,'' Roca
  said. ``I think his visit will help Cuba and the Cuban people.''

  Carter has said the 41-year-old trade embargo makes little sense, an opinion that is shared by Roca.

  He said he would love to meet the former president if asked.

  ''I would be honored to meet him and answer whatever he wants to know,'' Roca said. ``I think it would be very beneficial.''

  Roca also expressed support for the ''Varela Project,'' a drive to collect 10,000 signatures and force a referendum on government reforms away from the
  current model.

  ''I have always supported that project,'' Roca said. ``I couldn't give them my signature because I was in prison, but if they want it now, I would be glad
  to give it to them.''

  Roca said he would continue to battle for change for his homeland from within Cuba, and would never go into exile abroad.

  ''I would not exchange prison for exile,'' he said. ``I would never accept that. The problems of Cuba have to be resolved here.''

  This report was supplemented by Herald wire services.