SECOND HEMISPHERIC MEETING OF STRUGGLE AGAINS Movimiento Bolivariano - 31.08.2002 13:42
CONVOVATION TO THE II HEMISPHERIC MEETING OF STRUGGLE AGAINST THE FTAA AGAINST ANEXATION! CONVOVATION TO THE II HEMISPHERIC MEETING OF STRUGGLE AGAINST THE FTAA AGAINST ANEXATION! FOR THE DEFENSE OF THE SOVERIENTY OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN! IN FAVOR OF THE STUGGLE AGAINST SOCIAL EXCLUSION AND POVERTY! IN FAVOR OF A POPULAR DEBATE AND A PLEBICITE! SECOND HEMISPHERIC MEETING OF STRUGGLE AGAINST THE FTAA. INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE, HAVANA, CUBA. NOVEMBER 25 THROUGH 28, 2002. In compliance with the agreements of the meeting of continental networks held in Porto Alegre, Brazil the 30th. of January 2002, the signing organizations integrated into the Cuban Chapter of the Continental Social Alliance, representing workers, students, peasants, women, economists, journalists, attorneys, religious, artists, and intellectuals, CALLS ON: The celebration of the II Hemispheric Meeting of Struggle Against the FTAA, to be held in Havana from November 25 to 28/2002. We are summoning trade unionist, peasants, students, women, academicians, artists and intellectuals from the hemisphere, the youth, the indigenous, ecologists, religious, national entrepreneurs and all political and cultural personalities who shares the same concerns about the destiny of our peoples, in their efforts of organizing more and more and as soon as possible, the diverse and broad popular masses within the framework of the widest plurality, ready to oppose the Free Trade Agreement for the Americas (FTAA) and to preserve thereby, the independence, identity and the right to integral and democratic development of our peoples. The II Hemispheric Meeting of Struggle Against the FTAA will be held at the time when the Government of the United States, under the pretext of struggling against terrorism, intensifies their strategy of world domination by all means possible, based on the most defying unilateralism; in an openly blatant foreign policy of belligerence, imposing on other governments of the world, the savagery of their hegemonic interest and particularly to those of our continent. Within this context and just as it was proven during the I He4mispheric Meeting, held in November 2001, the FTAA is nothing else than an ongoing and accelerated process of institutionalization of drainage and looting of the domestic wealth of Latin America and the Caribbean, whose peoples are loosing step by step the essential elements of sovereignty and independence that makes possible the aspirations of real democracy, the struggle for economic and cultural development, the hope of turning into reality the noble dreams of a more equal society, justice and the preservation of the environment. It was clearly demonstrated that the FTAA was, among other things: The extreme application of the same neo-liberal model that has prevailed during the last years, with inauspicious results for the peoples of the continent. The pretension of having a complete and immediate opening of the Latin American and Caribbean economies, at a time in which there is a deep economic and social crisis. The absolute guarantee of huge advantages favoring the interest of the great capitals, especially for North American transnational Corporations. The forfeiture of the capacity of deciding with sovereignty over domestic economic policies and the establishment of an armored wall against the possibilities of self-development and independence of the Region. The elimination of the most essential rights of the peoples, expressed in our constitutions, due to the establishment of a judicial order by which transnational corporations enjoys the right of presenting law-suits against the governing States having these law-suits be resolved by international tribunals that operates outside of the reach and scope of national legislations. The extreme unbalance of the labor markets favoring transnational corporations and the most profound worsening of working conditions. The acceleration of the process of destruction of the Independent Latin American Agriculture by the way of its integration into the transnational productive and commercial networks, aggravating therefore the nourishing dependence of our countries and worsening the situation of unemployment. A moral attempt against the preservation of the cultural identities of our nations, as well as the deepening of racial and gender discrimination. An increase of the degree of exploitation and control over our natural resources, the reserves of the bio-diversity and the deterioration of the environment. The diagnosis has been presented, the dangers are real, and the disease is overtaking. First of all, it has to be stopped. Because of the above reasons, the II Hemispheric Meeting of Struggle Against the FTAA, without disregarding the importance of continuing elaborating alternative projects that through its radical stance denies the aims and goals of the so-called Free Trade Area, must on this occasion concentrate on the achieved balance in relation to the articulation of social movements and popular organizations, on the process of the developing the conscience of our peoples in the execution of concrete actions geared towards expressing and making the world aware of the popular opposition against this project of Imperialist domination. In line with the above statement, the debates and agreements will be directed fundamentally to the following subjects: To critically analyze the outcome of the Action Plan adopted during the previous Meeting. To set the guidelines for increasing the level of knowledge and awareness that our peoples have about the threat that the FTAA means to them, and to counteract the propaganda of misinformation on the subject launched by the transnational mass media serving the interest of the exploiters. To analyze the results of the plebiscite referred to the FTAA which is supposed to take place from September 2002 on, by popular movements and social organizations in Brazil, with the objective of drawing adequate conclusions, so as to provide the most successful and extended popular consultation in all the American Nations. To project our debates on what has to be done in the near future for the purpose of counteracting the attempts made by the US government and its allies of enforcing the FTAA by the Year 2003. in this regard, we’ll discuss about the actions that will contribute towards the outmost success of the mobilizations to be held during the coming month of April 2003, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. NO TO THE FTAA! A DIFFERET AMERICA IS POSSIBLE! Havana, Cuba, April 2002. ORGANIZATION SUMMONING THIIS MEETING. CTC/ Cuban Worker’s Trade Union Central. FEU/ University Student’s Federation. FEEM/ Intermediate Level Student’s Federation. ANAP/ National Association of Small Farmers. FMC/ Cuban Women Federation. CIEM/ Research Center for the World’s Economy. ANEC/ National Association of Economists and Accountants of Cuba. UPEC/ Cuban Union of Journalists. UNJC/ National Union of Cuban Jurists. UNEAC/ National Union of Cuban Artists and Writers. The Council of Cuban Churches. Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Center. ICAP/ The Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples. SEAP/ Economic Society Friends of the Nation. CDR/ Committees for the Defense of the Revolution. For more information please contact: Leonel Gonzalez Gonzalez. Organizing Committee of the II Hemispheric Meeting of Struggle Against the FTAA. E-mail: leonelgonzalez@ctc.cu America@ctc.cu E-Mail: leonelgonzalez@ctc.cu Website: http://www.alcaabajo.cu |