[Marxism] Lula Tells WTO: Be Flexibile

["Walter Lippmann" <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Venezuela's entry into MERCOSUR is a major step toward integration
of Latin America. Washington keeps trying to isolate Venezuela and
to undercut the regional integration process. This is clearest in
its blockade of Cuba, but it's similarly trying to isolate Chavez,
while Chavez, by contrast is working to expand his countries links
to both the rest of the continent, through MERCOSUR, Petrocaribe,
Telesur and others. He's even forged important links with Colombia
through expanded economic ties. As a result, Colombia is saying it
won't allow the Venezuelans who tried to overthrow the country's
democratically-elected government to receive asylum in Colombia.
The combined impact of MERCOSUR, ALBA and the other initiatives in
the region, a broad and thoroughly progressive process is now clear.

Those of you who haven't had the chance to see TELESUR cannot know
what you've been missing. It's available now on the internet and is
itself a vital consciousness-raising step in the integration process.
It shows you in a modern televised form the living example of Fidel's
vision from the Second Declaration of Havana where he put it this way:
"This great humanity has had enough and has decided to move ahead."
=====================================================================

Lula Tells WTO: Be Flexibile

Montevideo, Dec 9 (Prensa Latina) Brazilian President Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva requested greater flexibility from the most powerful
nations of the world for success in the World Trade Organization
meeting next week.

Speaking in the 29th MERCOSUR Summit that concluded in Montevideo
Friday, Lula said that good results from the Hong Kong negotiations
depend on the attitude of industrialized countries.

Lula said that he transmitted this criterion to US President George
W. Bush and British Prime Minister Anthony Blair, because the destiny
of millions of people depend on their attitudes.

He announced he would write letters to German Federal Chancellor
Angela Merkel and French President Jacques Chirac, and asked the rest
of the participants to follow his example.

The Doha Round is called the development round because it is supposed
to facilitate access of poor countries to the markets of powerful
economies.

The negotiations are stuck and negotiations at risk, because
developing countries want richer nations to eliminate or decrease
agricultural subsidies, while the White House and the European Union
demand more space for services and government purchases.

In another part of his speech, Lula expressed his satisfaction at the
entry of Venezuela into MERCOSUR.

He said that Caracas will strengthen South American integration and
facilitate existence of free trade agreements with other entities,
such as the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) formed by Bolivia,
Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

hr/ccs/tac/ro



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