Maps response to U.S. trade blitz
Sao Paulo Forum meets in Havana
By Berta Joubert
Havana, Cuba
José Ramón Balaguer, chief of International
Relations of the Cuban Communist Party, opened this year's Sao
Paulo Forum by placing the gathering in the context of the
Sept. 11 attack, a topic that would be central to the
discussions in the days that followed.
"Today we can say that the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 in
the U.S. show, in a tragic, insensate, and unjustifiable
manner, the validity of the conclusion reached by the Sao Paolo
Forum all these years," said Balaguer. "This conclusion is that
a handful of powerful nations cannot monopolize all the wealth,
the development, the technology, the culture, the education and
the public health and, at the same time, be immune to the
political, economic and social polarization consequences that
this process provokes at a global scale."
The forum is a group of leftist and progressive
organizations and parties of Latin America and the Caribbean
formed in 1990 in Sao Paolo, Brazil. It held its 10th meeting
Dec. 4-7 here in Havana. About 500 people attended from member
countries as well as invited guests, including several from the
United States.
Balaguer summarized the suffering of the people, exacerbated
by the U.S. "free trade" campaign: "transnational monopolies
turn their excess products into the Latin American and
Caribbean markets, privatization, labor deregulation, tax-free
initiatives, dollarization, increase of regressive taxes paid
by the poorest, increase of unemployment, electoral fraud,
corruption, violence, increase in crimes, acute polarization
and political, financial and social marginalization."
Prior to September, the working groups of the forum had met
and formulated a document that would be the central piece for
the conference. The forum's stated purpose is "unity despite
diversity." It has varied political currents--social,
indigenous and political movements, from social-democratic
forces to socialist and communist parties.
The forum seeks alternatives to neoliberalism and its
political, ideological onslaught. The main issue in the
document this year was the struggle against the Free Trade
Agreement of the Americas, understood as a process of
annexation and recolonization of the region.
Another crucial matter for discussion was external debt.
Latin America owes more than $750 billion to imperialist banks
and dedicates 56 percent of its income to debt payments. Other
issues included the anti-globalization movement, Plan Colombia
and the participation of forum members in other international
meetings.
In order to facilitate the discussions and incorporate the
greatest contributions, working groups were divided into
regions: the Caribbean, Central America, the Andes and the
South. They were responsible for formulating resolutions that
would be discussed and approved by the plenary.
Pentagon war creates
new urgency
The U.S. war gave a new urgency to the meeting, impacting on
resolutions and plans of action. The case of the five Cubans
imprisoned in the U.S. received much solidarity from attendees,
who rededicated themselves to breaking the blockade against
Cuba. U.S. pressures on Venezuela, Colombia and Vieques were
predominant in the discussion.
In Venezuela the right wing is attempting to sabotage the
current progressive constitution that prohibits the use of the
country's airspace and land to wage war against neighboring
countries--like Colombia. The Venezuelan ruling class is waging
destabilizing attacks on the government of Hugo Chávez
and is endorsed by the Bush administration. The economic
interests of these rich and powerful land and media owners are
threatened by the social movement that elected
Chávez.
Tareq Saab, from the Fifth Republic Movement, gave a
passionate speech highlighting the gains attained by the
Venezuelan process. He pointed to fair oil prices that allow
for integration of Central America and the Caribbean, a
sovereign and independent foreign policy, a pact of cooperation
with Cuba and other gains.
Saab paraphrased Hugo Chávez, saying, "Ours is a
peaceful, democratic revolution, but not unarmed."
Saab appealed to all organizations internationally to
explain the truth about the Bolivarian/Venezuelan Revolution
and to form solidarity movements with the people of Venezuela.
His proposal to the members and guests of the forum was
endorsed by all the Venezuelan delegates and approved with a
long applause by all present.
Defeat 'Plan Colombia,'
U.S. Navy out of Vieques!
Representatives from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia-Peoples Army (FARC-EP) also presented an urgent
statement. As a result of the U.S. "anti-terrorist" plan, the
struggle in Colombia has suffered.
Prior to September, the FARC-EP was in a process of dialogue
with the Colombian government for a political solution to the
war. After 9-11, increasing difficulties prompted a break-off
in the bilateral discussions.
On Oct. 7, the Colombian government authorized flights over
FARC-EP-controlled airspace. This and other hostile measures
are acts of war, says the FARC, that prevent them from
returning to the negotiating table.
The FARC is under increasing pressure, both nationally and
from the U.S. and Europe. The media, they say, does not call
them "narcotraffickers" anymore. Now they are called
"terrorists," a dangerous signal coming from the
imperialists.
But, the FARC said, "We are not terrorists. Terrorists are
those who commit isolated acts with the purpose of causing
panic in the population. We are with our people, we build a
clandestine communist party, a clandestine Bolivarian movement.
We work with the peasantry and with the people in the cities.
... We believe that the guerrilla is an indispensable motor in
Colombia, but we also work to make possible the insurrection in
Colombia."
The struggle to get the Navy out of Vieques, Puerto Rico,
was prominent for the first time in the Sao Paolo Forum.
Carlos Zenón, a fisher from Vieques, gave an update
on the situation in that island-municipality. Several speakers
referred to the Vieques struggle in their speeches, including
Cuban President Fidel Castro. A resolution was passed to send a
delegation to the island.
The forum was a display of anti-imperialist struggle and
international solidarity. Many nations delivered messages,
including Iraq, Syria and India.
Alicia Jrapko, a delegate from Workers World Party in the
United States, read a message of solidarity to the forum. She
requested statements in solidarity with the struggle to free
death-row political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. In response, the
forum passed a resolution supporting Abu-Jamal.
Reprinted from the Dec. 27, 2001, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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