PRAGUE -- This was the moment that four delegates of a Cuban exile group from Miami, including Carlos Morel, traveled 5,000 miles to Central Europe hoping for.

Lazaro Alvarez, of Miami's Agenda Cuba, squeezed through the crowd at the Prague Castle on Nov. 17 -- until he reached Czech President Vaclav Havel.

The occasion was a gala celebrating the 10th anniversary of the fall of communism in Europe, where Alvarez hoped to deliver to Havel a letter from Cuban dissident Vladimiro Roca, and a gift in behalf of Cuban exiles.

As a leader of the Czech Velvet Revolution, Havel ''was a hero against totalitarianism -- not only in books and words, but in acts of defiance,'' explained Alvarez, a lawyer who divides his time between New Jersey and Miami. ''He understands what dissidents in Cuba are going through.''

Alvarez made the trip with Agenda Cuba co-founders Leonardo Viota Sesin and Vicente Lago, as well as Morel.

Their primary mission was to meet Havel, whose government has spoken out against Fidel Castro's government.

With this in mind, Lago and Alvarez went to the gala.

In part, their letter from Roca read: ''I know that you have been at the forefront in defense of the opposition forces in Cuba and hopefully, one day we will be able to thank you personally in a free Havana.''

A Havel aide had hoped to arrange a meeting after the event before Havel flew out of the country. But sensing the moment slipping away, Alvarez pushed through the crowd, ran past George Bush, Mikhael Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher and Lech Walesa to the throng of well-wishers gathered around Havel.

Introducing himself, Alvarez handed Havel the letter and a framed collection of rare Cuban stamps, which Havel promised to hang in his office.

Havel looked at Alvarez, smiled and in English, said: ''Tell your people that whatever else I can do to help them, I will.''

And then he was gone.