By Madeline Baró Diaz
Miami Bureau

In his quest to bring democratic reforms to Cuba, leading dissident Oswaldo Payá has paid little mind to the Cuban government's attitude toward him, U.S. policy
toward Cuba and the long-held beliefs of some Cuban exiles.

Payá, who last month accepted the European Union's highest human rights prize, has maintained his independent spirit during his visit to the United States, a trip that
brings him to Miami this weekend. At every stop he reiterated his belief that change in Cuba will come from within Cuba.

"We did not come here to ask for measures," Payá said earlier this week. "The truth is we have not come to ask for anything in relation to the United States
government. We say this without arrogance, with a lot of respect and a lot of dignity. But we do expect solidarity and moral support for the Cuban people."

In the past month, the engineer who works at repairing and maintaining medical equipment has been to France, Puerto Rico, Washington and the Vatican, where he
met with the Pope. His travels have raised the profile of the Varela Project, which seeks a referendum on democratic changes and recognition of civil rights in Cuba.

But in seeking change, Payá is not just opposing Fidel Castro's government. He is trying to work within the Cuban system -- and also is critical of the U.S. embargo
against the island.

That approach has angered some members of South Florida's Cuban exile community who want to dismantle the island's system altogether. It also makes Payá's
current tour all the more significant.

The Cuban government gave him permission to leave the island nation to accept the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in France on Dec. 17. This week, Payá
met with Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is part of an administration committed to the embargo.

Returning home

After his visit to Miami, Payá will return home, where the Cuban government is expected to let him back in the country, aware that the Catholic leader who believes
in using the church and civil disobedience as instruments of change, plans to continue his work.

In Cuba, Payá would be the first high-profile Cuban dissident since longtime human rights activist Elizardo Sanchez to travel and return, said Richard Nuccio, a
former Clinton adviser on Cuba.

That's important, Nuccio said, because Cuba's approach to dissidents has typically been to dismiss them as a small minority and pawns of the U.S. government while
at the same time controlling them or finding a pretense to ship them out of the country.

"The Cuban government has this contradictory approach to the dissidents saying they're insignificant and meaningless and then treating them like a profound threat to
Cuba's security," Nuccio said. "If he's able to do what he's done up until now and what he's planning on doing and return to Cuba it's a very significant visit and
event."

Dismissing Payá could be difficult upon his return, especially since other nations are recognizing his work on behalf of human rights. When he accepted the Sakharov
Prize, European Parliament President Pat Cox praised him for using peaceful methods to achieve democracy in Cuba and pledged the EU's support.

"When [Europeans] give prominent recognition to Cuban dissidents it makes it harder for the Cuban government to stigmatize the dissidents as simply creatures of
the United States," Nuccio said.

Payá's message that change in his homeland will originate from within the island nation has been gaining acceptance in South Florida's Cuban-American community,
where there is growing support for Cuba's dissidents. Still, Payá and the Varela Project continue to be viewed with suspicion by some Cuban exiles.

The Varela petition lays out a series of democratic reforms: freedoms of speech, press and assembly, the right to own and operate private businesses, amnesty for
some political prisoners, and changes in election laws. In May, Varela Project organizers, led by Payá, submitted more than 11,000 signatures to Cuba's National
Assembly in an attempt to force a referendum, using provisions of the Cuban constitution.

Some Cuban-Americans in South Florida disagree with its very premise: that democratic changes in Cuba can come by working within the system. For change truly
to occur, the system of government that exists in Cuba today has to end, said Juan Pérez Franco, president of Brigade 2506, the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association.

"What we want, fundamentally, besides removing Fidel Castro from power, is that the [Communist] system disappear," said Pérez Franco, whose organization
signed a declaration against the Varela Project.

Reaction from exiles

Another part of the petition that rubs some Cuban exiles the wrong way is the proposal that only Cubans who have lived on the island for at least one year before
elections are held can participate in the electoral process. Pérez Franco and others who fought for Cuba's freedom, want to be included in the process.

During a speech before 500 people at Georgetown University Friday, Payá took pains to show gratitude and respect to exiles everywhere, particularly those in
South Florida, home to the largest concentration of Cubans outside of the island.

When asked whether Cuban-Americans were wrongly accused of being "radical," Paya said it wasn't wrong to be "radically peaceful and radically seek the rights of
Cubans.''

"When the heart is divided, both parts suffer," he said. "Sometimes Cubans give the image of being obsessed. It is a huge suffering of Cubans to live outside their
country. Do not judge harshly because they love their country, love their home.''

Payá supporters in Miami are expecting him to be welcomed warmly.

Carlos Saladrigas, chairman of the Cuba Study Group, made up of influential Cuban-American businessmen, said a recent study commissioned by his organization
found about 80 percent of Cuban-Americans polled supported the Varela Project.

"People understand that what he's doing is presenting a solution, presenting a way for change," Saladrigas said. "It's a first step. It doesn't have to be the final step,
but it's certainly a step in the right direction."

Although many Cuban exiles have embraced dissidents both on the island and those who left, some disagree with Payá's views and those of dissidents like him.

Nuccio said Payá and some other dissidents generate suspicion because they do not support the embargo and because the way they express their views is muted
compared to many exile voices in Miami, where strident anti-Castro discourse is common on Spanish-language radio and in other forums.

"The dilemma for the dissidents always is to walk this fine line where they maintain an independent voice of criticism but don't give the Cuban government a pretext
for expelling them," Nuccio said. "The big difference is between Cuban-Americans who haven't set foot in Cuba in 40 years and those who have some more
familiarity with what's going on in Cuba."

Payá's Miami itinerary is being ironed out, but he will likely meet with Cuban-American supporters and will participate in a tightly controlled press conference
Monday.

His visit could be a chance for Cuban-Americans to interact with someone from the island who is not with the government and express their different points of view,
said Silvia Wilhelm, executive director of Puentes Cubanos, a group that promotes person-to-person exchanges with Cuba.

"I think it's very clear that the exile community has differences of opinion. Once again, we're not a monolith," she said. "I think the community will learn a lot by
talking with Payá. I think it's a good opportunity for dialogue."

Staff writers William E. Gibson and Rafael Lorente contributed to this report.

Madeline Baró Diaz can be reached at mbaro@sun-sentinel.com or 305-810-5007.

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