[Marxism] Morales reaffirms refusal to sign US's Free Trade Area deal

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn't Fit

Prensa Latina, Havana
David expressed curiosity about what Cuba's or Bolivia's position would
be on the current indigenous-led upsurge in protest.  Morales is
unlikely to make a public statement about Ecuador at this point, I
think, but this shows that his position on the issue is, unlike Palacios
in Ecuador, unchanged. I have sent in a couple clippings from Prensa
Latina that clearly indicate Cuban sympathy with the protests. And it is
hard to see that Morales could regard an indigenous and allied victory
in Ecuador as anything but good news.

In Ecuador, the NYT reports a slowdown in the protests, but people who
have followed Bolivia are used to these slowdowns, which usually prepare
a bigger future wave.

Personally, I think we should view Ecuador as a potential spot for US
and Colombian intervention.  There have been several incidents lately of
protests against Colombian military violations of Ecuadoran borders. I
think the Colombian paramilitary-rightist government would be pretty
alarmed to find another border occupied by a government attempting a
process of progressive social change. And the US has troops in Ecuador,
and can always claim that they are being endangered in their vital
anti-drug work.

Ecuador could be where the shit REALLY hits the fan in Latin America.
Fred Feldman



 <http://www.plenglish.com/> http://www.plenglish.com

Bolivia: Morales Stands Firm in Refusal to Sign US Trade Deal

La Paz, Mar 16 (Prensa Latina) The categorical "No" of Bolivian
President Evo Morales to the signing of a free trade agreement with the
US was Thursday praised by a parliamentary majority and criticized by
business sectors and conservatives.

Members of the MAS (Movement towards Socialism) party applauded
the stance of the president, who said Wednesday that such an agreement
would only be good to invade the country with subsidized products, to
the detriment of local producers and manufacturers.

Morales indicated he will never negotiate an agreement of that
kind, but rather a trade agreement for the peoples, allowing to open
markets to products by small enterprises, cooperatives and poor people.

MAS deputy chief Gaston Cornejo added it is not possible to
speak of free, fair trade with the US when that country is pushing
regional ones to sign a free trade agreement, aimed at "devouring them."

Such a deal would mean giving away national sovereignty to the
globalized market and losing the country's freedom of action, Cornejo
stressed.

In the meantime, Morales' stance has been criticized by
business sectors, particularly exporters, and political conservatives
and neoliberal economists as well.

mh/dig/mrs/mf



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