WASHINGTON (AFP) - Former US President and Nobel peace laureate Jimmy Carter urged Cuban authorities to release
               dozens of dissidents arrested this week and called on the US administration try to ease tensions.

                "I am deeply concerned about reports of detentions of Cuban citizens," Carter said in a statement following the arrest of
                more than 70 dissidents in Cuba since Monday.

                "I call on the Cuban government to ... refrain from detaining or harassing citizens who are expressing their views peacefully," Carter said.

                "I am also troubled by the rising tension between the Cuban government and the US Interests Section in Havana. I urge my own
                government to work with the Cuban government to deflate those tensions and establish a relationship of mutual respect."

               Cuba's communist authorities accused the dissidents of involvement in a conspiracy they claim is led by the chief of the US
               Interests Section in Havana, James Cason.

               Cason's contacts with Cuban dissidents have enraged Castro, who has also threatened to close the US Interests Section and
               imposed limits on the travel of US diplomats on the island.

               Already shaky US-Cuban ties have deteriorated sharply in recent months as both Washington and Havana have ratcheted up their
               rhetoric and recriminations.

               Canadian authorities joined their US counteparts Friday in expressing concern over the arrests.

               "Canada will be raising our concerns with the Cuban government regarding the crackdown on dissidents," said Foreign Ministry
               spokeswoman Nadia Scipio.