Continental meeting in La Havana

The continent cries out:

No to ALCA

Following the path of the anti-globalization struggle of the last few years, while the Annual United Nations Assembly was in session in New York to back the infamous imperialist aggression on Afghanistan and in Qatar, the World Trade Organization -WTO- was getting ahead of itself to fix the imperialist policies of exploitation; alternatively in Cuba, hundreds of delegates from the American continent and Europe, raised their fists and their cries towards one direction: NO TO ALCA, no to the payment of the foreign debt, down with the Plan Colombia, dismantlement of the military bases in Manta and Vieques. The realization of the event proved that the Anti-terrorist Crusade headed by yankee imperialism, cannot stop the growing movement against capitalist globalization in the world.

More than six hundred activist and militants from trade unions, social, economic, political and student organizations from every American country, got together from November 13th to the 16th in the Convention Palace in La Havana. This continental congregation had two main objectives; first of all, discussing the reach of the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas -ALCA- encouraged by the United States, and secondly, to define a Plan of Action to halt its application.

When evaluating the reasons for ALCA, there were no doubts in any of the interventions. One after another, the delegates denounced the perverse character of it and the great danger that its implementation means for our people. Not only because the initiative was carried forward by the United States (which in itself is suspicious) and followed by the majority of the governments of the area, but also because the results of the Free Trade Agreement established between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, which is the model for ALCA, has proven with the hunger, the unemployment, and the misery of the workers and the poor of those nations, that this project is at the service of the multinationals.

That is why there were no doubts among the participants. ALCA is the great project with which North American imperialism wants to overcome the economic crisis that it lives, by ensuring the hegemonic control of a market for 800 million people who live on the American continent, and deepening the semi-colonization of our countries. And to guarantee it, it will keep tightening the foreign debt knot that strangles the Latin American economy and might not doubt, if it is necessary, recalling to a military aggression, like it can be seen with the sinister Plan Colombia, the installment of military bases and the approval of the "Democratic Clause", through which it can assault those countries who have governments it doesn't consider addicted.

The encounter was overflowing with struggle initiatives

But not only was it abundant in arguments against ALCA. The delegates also presented numerous initiatives for the struggle, to confront this imperialist plan in each country and on a continental level. New encounters, mobilizations, days of continental struggle, broadcasting among the members of the organizations over the reaches of ALCA, participation in the II World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Youth Caravan from Brazil to later arrive in the Youth Camp in Ecuador and promoting popular consultations in all of the countries so that the population decides over ALCA, were, among others, the most important activities discussed and approved by the encounter.

These initiatives reflected the will to struggle among the participants and the strength and dynamic that the youths put into the event. It is undeniable that the Continental Meeting of Struggle against ALCA is the continuity of the great actions that took place in Buenos Aires and Quebec in April of this year and they make part of a much larger one: the anti-globalization mobilization.

The parties who make up the International Workers Unity (IWU-FI), place themselves in the front lines to take forward the mobilization in the American continent. We understand that the first step for this struggle is to deepen the confrontation with governments, who with their successive adjustment plans, are making the people pay the costs of the imperialist project. The plans of the Latin American governments are part of the pre-requirements demanded by the United States for the implementation of ALCA.

Rodrigo Ayala

The leaders go the opposite way

The Continental Social Alliance, the Worker's Union of Cuba and the government of Fidel Castro, were the main referents of the event, unfortunately they placed themselves behind the dynamic of the meeting. On the last day of deliberations, they presented a declaration project, which failed to recognize the contributions made to the discussion.

That is why it was not strange that many delegates pronounced themselves categorically against the ambiguities of the document. The non payment of the foreign debt, the dismantlement of the military bases in Manta and Vieques, the denouncement and confrontation with the accomplice governments, the resistance to labeling the movement to the Continental Social Alliance and the need to give a socialist perspective to the struggle against ALCA, were among others, the most important claims by the participants, so they could be incorporated into the Final Declaration. Pretending that they did not hear the claims, the organizers only included a few of them. Abruptly, they read the text in ten minutes and allowed Fidel Castro to close the event with a long speech that lasted until the morning. The tired faces of many of the delegates, full of frustration, were evidence that the leadership did not attend to their claims.

The "Consensus of La Havana", besides the leaders, ended up being a wordy message that does not call to any decisive struggle against imperialism and capitalism. This text imposed by the leadership, trusts the actual accomplice governments and asks them to take "responsibility when defining national policies for economic development and promote well-being and social equality" and calls for a continental integration based on fomenting a "process of international cooperation that can count with financing for development by the most powerful nations, to balance the possibilities of the most poor countries of the area." Basically, capitalism with human appearance, as an alternative to the misery and barbarism that imperialism offers. We trust that the initiatives approved and the struggles in each country, will overcome the limits imposed by the leaders of the meeting.

Stédile, leader of the Sem Terra of Brazil says:

"Our governments are shameful"

Comrade Pedro Stédile, was present during the event and was one of the most ovationed leaders during his speech. We will expose a short interview that he gave between the debates.

What is your vision of the meeting and the perspective in the struggle against ALCA?

The comrades from the Cuban organizations were very clear by creating a space where organizations from all Latin American countries can come together, not only to debate and comprehend the nature and danger that ALCA means, but also to leave here with a Plan of Action and a concrete objective that can unite everyone with tasks for the next year.

What can be the focuses of that Plan of action?

The first step is for the left and the social forces to notice that we must leave behind the little things of activism. That it is necessary to make unity. That we must prior the struggle against ALCA. ALCA is a political project of imperialist domination that will recolonize our countries. That is why everyone needs to politically understand this issue now, to prior in their countries that the first struggle that we have to make, is against ALCA. And the ways to struggle will be diverse, from fighting multinationals and their plans, to coming out of here with a term for a plebiscite in every Latin American country at the same time.

And what about against the governments who are compromised with ALCA?

Our governments are shameful. Our government in Brazil is one of those. They are totally submitted to the will of North American capital and I believe that it should be part of our Working Plan also, to fight to change those governments in our countries.

Delegation of the IWU-FI

The International Workers Unity - Fourth International (IWU-FI), was present during the event, through comrade Joao Batista (Baba), federal legislator of the Corriente Socialista de los Trabajadores (CST) which makes part of the PT of Brazil, through militants from UCLAT and UNIOS of Mexico, and through Rodrigo Ayala, from the International Secretariat of the IWU-FI.

The comrades expressed the positions of our international through a written salute, by their interventions and proposals during the event and by spreading the magazine International Correspondence.