September 29, 2009
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Venezuela:Final Declaration of Nueva Esparta, II Africa-South America Summit
Caracas, Sept 27. ABN.- Following the Final Declaration of the II Africa-South American Summit (ASAS), carried out in Margarita Island, Nueva Esparta state, Venezuela:
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Margarita Island, Nueva Esparta
September 26 and 27, 2009
DECLARATION OF NUEVA ESPARTA
II AFRICA-SOUTH AMERICA SUMMIT
WE, the Heads of State and Government of Africa and South America, meeting in the Second Africa-South America Summit (II ASAS) in Nueva Esparta State, Isla de Margarita, Venezuela on September 26 and 27, 2009;
1. EXPRESSING our appreciation to His Excellency Commander Hugo Chávez Frίas, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Government and the People of Venezuela for their warm reception and generous hospitality and for hosting, conducting and organizing the Second Africa-South America Summit with such excellence;
2. TAKING NOTE of the Abuja Declaration of the First Africa-South America Summit held in Abuja, Nigeria, on 30 November 2006 and the efforts that have been made since then to consolidate the process of cooperation and strategic partnership between our two regions;
3. AFFIRMING the commitment, as contained in the Abuja Declaration, to continue strengthening the links between our two regions and to foster and enhance cooperation in various areas of mutual interest;
4. CONSIDERING also the deeply rooted historical and cultural ties that have inspired this relationship;
5. ACKNOWLEDGING the active participation of Afro-descendant population in the development of South America as well as the contribution of South American countries to the consolidation of political independence and development on the African continent as part of this process;
6.REAFFIRMING our commitment to foster South-South Cooperation as a major objective of both regions, in order to complement the traditional North-South Cooperation and promote, among other aims, sustained economic growth and decent work, enable social justice, foster inclusive social policies by mainstreaming the effective participation of youths, civil society and gender groups and persons with special needs, ensure equality, respect and mutual regard among states in the global system, promote economic cooperation and facilitate distribution of the benefits derived from exchange of goods and services, as well as generation and transfer of technical knowledge, aiming at the accomplishment of the Millennium Development Goals;
7.AGREEING to exchange experience and foster close and effective co-operation between our regions, with the strong support of the African Union (AU) and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), important pillars of cooperation among our peoples, already forged by the contribution and role of both Organizations in the preparatory meetings leading up to the Second Summit;
8.COMMENDING the efforts undertaken so far by the Follow-Up Coordinating Committee of ASA to intensify cooperation between Africa and South America and also to promote effective multilateralism for the mutual benefits of the states and peoples of the two regions;
9.RECOGNIZING the outcomes of the International Seminar on the Poles of the South held in Caracas from 20 to 21 May 2008 and the Ministerial and Senior Officials/Experts Conferences held between the two Summits;
10.REITERATING our will to promote peace, security and international cooperation on the basis of adherence to multilateralism, observance of International Law, the Rule of Law, Democracy, and respect of human rights and International Humanitarian Law;
11.REAFFIRMING likewise our commitment to disarmament, non proliferation of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction and the fight against traffic in small arms and light weapons in all their aspects; taking into consideration the decision to fight the global drug problem, within the framework of common and shared responsibility, terrorism in all its form, piracy, mercenarism, transnational organized crime, especially the traffic of persons and the smuggling of migrants;
DECLARE THAT:
12.In order to translate this wider commitment into action, we affirm the need to develop, consolidate and build on our axes of cooperation in the following specific areas:
I.COOPERATION IN THE MULTILATERAL AREA
13.WE RENEW our commitment to multilateralism within the framework of unrestricted respect for the norms and principles of International Law and the Charter of the United Nations.
14.WE STATE our full support for the reform of the UN Security Council, as a process that, more than anything, should ensure a greater participation of developing countries in South America and Africa and the improvement of their working methods in order to correct current imbalances and make this Council a more democratic, transparent, representative, effective and legitimate body that responds to the new political realities. In this sense, we commend the efforts made in the intergovernmental negotiations on this matter, in accordance with Decision 62/557 of the UN General Assembly. We hope that this new stage of negotiations will be inclusive and fruitful in the 64th Session of the General Assembly.
15.WE TAKE NOTE that Africa maintains its common position on the UN Reform, as stipulated in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration of the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government of July 2005, and reaffirm our commitment to the conclusion of the global processes of the UN Reform.
II.COOPERATION TO FIGHT CRIME AND OTHER RELATED MATTERS
16.WE RENEW our decision to strengthen initiatives for cooperation to fight all forms of transnational organized crime, such as illicit trafficking in Small Arms, Light Weapons and Ammunitions, the fight against human trafficking and against proliferation of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, both at the bilateral and multilateral levels, as well as our determination to implement follow-up mechanisms and action plans for institutional development and exchange of information with a view to developing joint work and cooperation in this area.
17.WE RECOGNISE the adverse effects that all aspects of the worldwide problem of drugs, including the illegal traffic of narcotics and psychotropic substances and related crimes, have on security, peace, governance, economic development and public health of our peoples, as this poses a serious challenge to social and political institutions, contributes to environmental degradation and poverty, and weakens the efforts for social integration. In this respect, we commit ourselves to fostering initiatives, proposals, actions and activities to fight this phenomenon, both bi-regionally and bilaterally, acting always under the principles of common and shared responsibility, demanding an integral and balanced approach, respect for the sovereignty of States and their territorial integrity, non intervention in the internal affairs and respect for human rights, as set forth in the Charter of the United Nations.
III.PEACE AND SECURITY
18.WE EXPRESS our commitment to maintenance of international peace and security, as well as peaceful dispute settlement, observing the principle against the threat or use of force in international relations and supporting peace processes in Africa as well as strengthening of existing mechanisms to prevent and solve conflicts.
19.WE EMPHASIZE the importance of promoting peace in both regions, by bolstering measures to encourage confidence and cooperation in the fields of defense and security, as the best means to warrant stability, security, democracy, human rights and comprehensive development of our peoples.
20.WE RECALL the need to peacefully solve, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, any problems or disputes which may endanger regional or global stability, as well as the determination to take appropriate and effective measures against any threats to peace and security caused by the proliferation of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, as well as the illicit traffic in arms, ammunitions and explosives, under the relevant provisions of the United Nations.
21.WE COMMIT OURSELVES to continue strengthening dialogue and cooperation for promotion of peace and security between organizations and mechanisms in which we are members of, such as the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, the South-American Defense Council of UNASUR and the Zone of Peace and Cooperation in the South Atlantic (ZPCSA).
22.WE EMPHASIZE the importance of cooperation in the area of peace consolidation, both through acting within the Peace Building Commission (PBC) of the United Nations, and the Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Policy of the African Union. We commend the work developed by the PBC in Burundi, Sierra Leone, Central African Republic and Guinea-Bissau and urge support for both Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Policy of the AU and the PBC.
23.WE STRESS the importance of the United Nations Program of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects and call upon all States to participate and contribute towards the continued implementation of the above-mentioned Program.
24.WE CONDEMN the production and use of anti-personnel mines, by any country, as they jeopardize the lives of our peoples, affect their physical and emotional integrity and have a negative impact on the wellbeing and development of communities. The member states reaffirm their commitment to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, and invite all States which have not yet done so to adhere to or ratify this Convention.
25.WE EXPRESS concern over the existence of explosives left behind by the Second World War, especially in the form of landmines and other remnants of war, which continue to cause humanitarian and material damage and also obstruct development processes. In this regard, we call on the countries responsible for planting these landmines and explosives to cooperate with the affected countries, through the provision of maps that show locations of landmines and explosives, as well as the provision of the necessary technical assistance for their complete removal.
26.WE CONDEMN terrorism in all its manifestations and we reject any linking of terrorism to a specific culture, ethnicity, religion or peoples. We emphasize the importance of combating terrorism via active and efficient international cooperation in the framework of the relevant regional organizations and the United Nations, based on the respect of the objectives and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and in strict conformity with the principles of International law and human rights. We also share the conviction that the recourse to payment of ransom for terrorism should be condemned and criminalized.
27.RECOGNISING the threats and negative consequences caused by piracy which have greatly interrupted maritime and international security, WE UNDERSCORE the need for the international community to deal with the root causes of the piracy problem in territorial and international waters and strongly condemn and discourage payment of all forms of ransom on piracy.
28.WE SUPPORT the negotiations developed within the framework of the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons on the prohibition of production and use of cluster ammunition given the damage they cause to civil populations.
29.WE REITERATE our deep concern at the use, recruitment, funding, training and transport of mercenaries or any other form of support to mercenaries, in violation of the purposes and principles set forth in the Charter of the United Nations.
IV.DEMOCRACY, GOVERNANCE, HUMAN RIGHTS AND POLITICAL ISSUES
30.WE REITERATE that human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent, and that the international community should address itself to its comprehensive defense. We encourage the establishment of cooperation mechanisms among the countries of Africa and South America aimed at ensuring and promoting rights inherent to the individual, protected by International Law, including the right to development.
31.WE CONDEMN racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance, as they deny the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Our principles are based on respect for human rights and fundamental liberties of everybody without drawing a distinction of ethnic origin, color, gender, religion, political opinions or any other. We commit ourselves to delve into bi-regional cooperation and exchange of practices to fight any and all forms of intolerance, in accordance with the commitments undertaken under the Durban Declaration and Plan of Action.
32.WE EMPHASIZE the importance of promoting, at the relevant multilateral forums, respect for cultural, ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity, as well as the comprehension of their different cultures among the peoples and nations of the world. We recognize the significance of national and regional peculiarities, as well as different historic and religious heritages within the framework of progressive development of International Law of Human Rights.
33.WE CALL FOR the strengthening of those national institutions in charge of timely implementing the Declaration on the Right of Indigenous Peoples adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in its Resolution AG/61/295 of September 13, 2007.
34.WE UNDERLINE the importance of promoting the exchange of experiences in the area of the rights of women, children and youth, as well as the promotion of the rights of the elderly and people with disabilities.
35.WE REAFFIRM the commitment of the States to full observance and protection of child and youth rights as a priority area of public policies in the fight against poverty and the fostering of health, education and culture, and the protection against all kinds of labor and sexual exploitation in the higher interest of children, with the State, society and family assuming their responsibility of ensuring maximum enjoyment of their fundamental rights.
36.WE ADVOCATE the right to development, democracy and respect and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples, including isolated indigenous peoples.
37.WE HIGHLIGHT the importance of fostering an Agenda, within the framework of WIPO, with a view to promote the transfer and dissemination of technology and access to knowledge and education to the benefit of developing countries and countries of less relative development, and the most vulnerable social groups.
38.WE CALL UPON the international community not to approve unilateral illegal and coercive measures as a means of exerting political, military or economic pressure against any country, in particular against developing countries, according to the Charter of the United Nations.
39.WE URGE the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Argentine Republic to resume negotiations in order to find, as a matter of urgency, a fair, peaceful and lasting solution to the dispute concerning sovereignty over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands and South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and surrounding maritime spaces, in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations and other pertinent regional and international organizations.
40.WE URGE the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, France, and the Republic of Mauritius to pursue negotiations in order to find, as a matter of urgency, a fair, peaceful and definitive solution to the issues regarding the sovereignty over Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia, and Tromelin and the surrounding maritime spaces, in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations and the other pertinent regional and international organizations.
41.WE URGE the Republic of France and the Union of Comoros to resume negotiations in order to find, as a matter of urgency, a fair, peaceful and definitive solution to the dispute regarding sovereignty over the Island of Mayotte and its surrounding maritime spaces in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations and the other pertinent regional and international organizations.
V.AGRICULTURE, AGRIBUSINESS, RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND WATER RESOURCES
42.WE RECOGNISE the pressing need to articulate policies allowing for food security, including access to food, and therefore underscore our determination and strong willingness to conduct joint studies and exchange experiences in the field of food security in order to facilitate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. In this regard, we reject the distorting policies adopted by developed countries, due to the negative impact they have on agricultural production and investment in developing countries and on the exercise of the right to food.
43.WE RECOGNIZE the importance of water as a natural resource of States that is an essential element for life, with socio-economic and environmental functions. We shall promote the right of our citizens to have access to clean and safe water and sanitation within our respective jurisdictions.
44.WE REALIZE the need to promote sustainable use of water, and in this regard, we shall promote the exchange of information and best practices between our regions with a view to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
45.WE REAFFIRM our commitment to the multilateral system as a valid tool to help solve the issue of hunger and poverty. In this regard, we urge developed countries to fulfill their funding commitments, undertaken at the High-Level Conference on World Food Security, held at FAO in June 2008. Further, we highlight our commitment to reinforce the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) as a multilateral forum where all the States can find alternatives to solve the world food insecurity.
VI.ECONOMY, TRADE, INVESTMENT AND TOURISM
46.WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT the outcome of the First Conference of Trade Ministers of Africa and South America held on 19 June 2008 in Marrakesh, Morocco.
47.WE RECOGNIZE that the principles of complementarity, cooperation and solidarity contribute to social and economic development, as well as to transparent, non-discriminatory, fair and all-inclusive trade, in accordance with the multilateral rules of trade notwithstanding integration mechanisms and ratifying the need for ethical and responsible practices, taking into account the asymmetries, developmental differences and strategic peculiarities of each country. In this regard we recognize that international trade and commercial, scientific, technological and innovative exchange should be factors that contribute to growth, sustainable development, poverty reduction, and, in some instances, the protection and defense of traditional cultural knowledge, conservation practices and sustainable use of biodiversity, and to the strengthening of the fraternal dialogue among peoples, as well as their sovereign right of peoples to the use of their resources.
48.WE AGREE that fostering South-South trade and investment contributes to the complementarities of developing economies and to the identification of new opportunities for economic and commercial exchanges. In this regard, we believe that the Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries (GSTP) is a tool in the attainment of these objectives and, therefore, call for a prompt conclusion of the 3rd Round Negotiations of the Generalized System of Trade Preferences that enables the diversification of production relations in accordance with the strategic areas of interest that may be identified by both regions.
49.WE REAFFIRM the fundamental role of the State in the definition of economic and social policies and as an economic stakeholder in socio-economic development, taking into account the peculiarities of each country.
50.WE RECOGNIZE the role of the private sector and other organized social stakeholders, and the importance of productive investment and its commitment to the economic development of our countries, and reiterate the will to foster cooperation to promote that sector in our development agenda in accordance with the interests, priorities and needs of each State.
51.WE REAFFIRM our commitment to reach a successful conclusion to the Doha Development Round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in a fair and balanced manner to developing countries. Likewise we reaffirm the need for a transparent process involving all the members of the WTO, taking into account the needs of developing countries. Similarly, special attention should be given to the need of coordinating the positions of the two regions within the framework of the WTO, so as to promote the interests of developing countries by paying attention, in particular, to the challenges faced by less relatively developed countries.
52.WE COMMIT OURSELVES to the promotion of tourism as a factor of integration. We also commit ourselves to the promotion of tourism based on community development and absolute respect for our cultural heritage, customs and traditions.
53.WE RECOGNIZE that the current financial and economic crisis is a structural crisis. We therefore commit ourselves to fostering the changes needed in order to enable the establishment of a new international financial architecture, which must be based on a democratic decision-making process, including a balanced participation of all parties concerned and taking into account the views and perspectives of developing countries. We emphasize, likewise, the need to prevent the losses from such crises from being transferred to developing countries through the implementation of various financial safeguard mechanisms. We agree that in order to speed up the establishment of the proposed new international financial architecture, it is necessary to strengthen regional systems through the promotion of supportive financial and monetary institutions based on solidarity, cooperation, endogenous regional development and the formation of more democratic, fair and equitable societies within the framework of respect for national independence and sovereignty.
54.WE RECOGNIZE the need to move forward in the adoption of financial safeguard measures required to prevent the costs of the international financial crisis, taking into special consideration the conditions and circumstances of the more vulnerable economies. We agree on the need to foster the design of a new international and regional financial architecture in order to achieve the comprehensive development of our peoples.
VII.COMBATING POVERTY AND HUNGER
55.WE REAFFIRM our commitment to intensify our efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger, both in rural and urban areas with special attention to most vulnerable peoples, by tackling the root causes that generate them, with a view to fostering societies based on values such as social justice, solidarity, complementarity, equality, social inclusion, citizens´ involvement and respect for human rights and respect for Mother Earth in accordance with the provisions set out in Resolution 63/278 of the United Nations General Assembly. In this regard, WE RECOGNIZE the need to develop rural and urban areas in poverty situation by pursuing their inclusion into national projects.
56.WE REITERATE the importance of achieving the Development Objectives contained in the Millennium Declaration, and agree to develop and engage in joint efforts in the fight for eradicating poverty and hunger on a worldwide scale, as well as to promote social inclusion. Likewise, we underline the need to uphold the commitment reaffirmed in the Monterrey Consensus in 2002 (United Nations Conference on Financing for Development), whereby industrialized countries are to set aside 0.7% of their GDP to official development assistance (ODA) in favor of developing countries and 0.2% in favor of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
VIII.INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
57.WE COMMIT OURSELVES to identifying joint initiatives on the basis of the needs of each bloc for funding and developing projects.
58.WE RECOGNIZE the Infrastructure Initiative for the Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America (IIRSA), the South-American Infrastructure and Planning Council of UNASUR, the New Partnership for the Development of Africa (NEPAD), and the Short-Term Action Plan (STAP) of the African Union as the foundations for mutual exchange and support in the field of infrastructure.
59.WE RENEW our commitment to facilitate transit through the territory of transit countries by all means of transport, in accordance with the applicable rules of International Law, to landlocked developing countries, and recognize that their special characteristics deserve an adequate approach to deal with their specific problems.
IX.ENERGY AND SOLID MINERALS
60.WE AGREE to consolidate our efforts in order to exchange experiences in terms of development and universal use of energy sources and energy saving by the governments and the peoples of both regions, in particular clean, renewable and alternative energy sources, with a view to extending their sustainable diffusion and utilization, as well as achieving maximum efficiency in their usage, in accordance with the relevant economic, social and environmental aspects, thus contributing to the economic and social transformation of the countries of Africa and South America. Considering the envisaged use of fossil fuels going into the future, both regions will cooperate on matters relating to the sustainable production and use of fossil fuel, particularly oil and gas.
61.WE COMMIT OURSELVES to enhancing energy-related cooperation between Africa and South America in order to contribute to industrial growth, the development of energy infrastructure, the exchange and transfer of technologies, the reduction of transaction costs and the training of human skills in order to attain the strategic goal of energy security and integration.
62.WE RECOGNIZE the importance of creating conditions to increase the presence of African and South American companies including the energy and mining sectors in both regions, which would contribute to strengthening South-South trade and investment. We renew our earlier mandate for AFREC and UNASUR to prepare an energy strategy to promote sustainable development, while respecting the sovereign rights to manage and regulate natural resources.
63.WE REAFFIRM the importance of continuing the studies to diversify the energy matrix in Africa and South America, as well as studies on the potential of other alternative sources of energy.
64.WE COMMIT OURSELVES to joining efforts with the aim of ensuring the exchange of experiences in the areas of Prospecting, Exploration and Treatment of Mineral Resources, prioritizing local transformation, in a diversified manner, using clean technologies that preserve the environment.
65.WE COMMIT OURSELVES to implementing joint projects, to be identified, in the areas of energy technologies and minerals.
X.SOCIAL ISSUES AND SPORTS
66.WE REAFFIRM sports, physical education and recreation as fundamental elements of transformation in improving the living conditions and physical and mental health of citizens, as well as in the processes of social inclusion and strengthening both individual and collective self-esteem and national identity.
67.WE SUPPORT the Tunisian initiative on the Proclamation of the year 2010 as the International Year of Youth as well as the holding of a Youth World Congress under the auspices at the United Nations and relevant International Organizations.
68.WE COMMIT OURSELVES to providing all the necessary support to ensure the success of the Africa Cup of Nations, to be held in Angola in January 2010, the success of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to be held in South Africa and the 2014 FIFA World Cup to be held in Brazil, and welcome the candidacy of Rio de Janeiro to host the Olympic Games in 2016.
69.WE DECIDE to establish sports competitions between Africa and South America and call upon the specialized Federations of both continents to work together in collaboration with all actors in order to organize different tournaments.
70.WE COMMIT OURSELVES to implementing active policies aimed at generating decent work and implementing the International Labor Organization fundamental conventions for creating conditions of quality employment for the development of our human resources, and to formulating economic policies giving globalization an ethical dimension by placing the person at the center of public policies.
71.WE WELCOME the programs approved by many countries to attain the full integration of immigrants into their societies as well as the reunion with their families. In this context, we recognize the important work being developed within the United Nations framework.
72.WE SHALL JOIN EFFORTS to work on and strengthen the areas of cooperation and integration in the field of health with a view to identifying structural weaknesses and other illness-determining social factors and preventing the high maternal and infant death rates, malnutrition, and improving access to drinking water, as well as fighting the transmission of HIV / AIDS / STDs and their impact on the population, as well as of other poverty-related illnesses such as tuberculosis, malaria, and other epidemics coexisting with non-transmittable diseases, through promotion of national and international initiatives which aim to produce and equitably distribute new vaccines and widen the access to essential medicines, with a view to guaranteeing health as an inalienable right of our peoples and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
73.WE SHALL TAKE action in order to exchange information and good practices in fighting the risks of A (H1N1) Influenza for the peoples of both regions, particularly for the poorest and those with no ready access to health services. We advocate, jointly, sharing viral strains with pandemic potential, by using the system of the World Health Organization and building an equitable and fair system to share the benefits arising from the use of this genetic material.
XI.SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICTs)
74.WE SHALL JOIN EFFORTS to embark on initiatives of cooperation and exchange of experiences aimed at building the scientific, technological and institutional capacities of the STI (science, technology and innovation) national systems and the formulation and implementation of policies aimed at the sustainable development and social progress of both regions, with a view to foster integration and rapprochement of the African and South American scientific communities promoting the generation, transfer and social appropriation of scientific and technical knowledge. In this respect, and in order to promote social inclusion, we commit ourselves to fostering the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), as well as other technologies, with a view to facilitating opportunities of education, health and better living conditions for the population.
75.WE AFFIRM the importance of joining efforts in order to make our history and current reality known, as well as our cultural diversity and common issues and problems, through the exchange of radio-and television-broadcast contents, which enable the initiation of cooperation in the areas of communication and information, and contribute to progressively establishing bi-regional television and radio stations.
76.WE EMPHASIZE the need for consolidating cooperation between Africa and South America in the fields of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as well as undertaking joint action in order to reduce the digital divide as stipulated in the Tunis Declaration adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society held in 2005, and to promote technological literacy and the development and use of free software.
XII.EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL ISSUES
77.WE REGARD as fundamental the establishment of joint research projects in strategic and priority areas for both regions through permanent exchange programs for students, researchers and teachers, as well as the fostering of networks of teachers, researchers and students between academic institutions, and mechanisms of triangular cooperation and scholarship programs for those projects within the spirit of solidarity and complementarity.
78.WE ALSO REGARD as important the reinforcement of the bonds existing between the Diplomatic Academies of Africa and South America with a view to promoting mutual knowledge among the new generations of diplomats and the consolidation of new, multidisciplinary professional training.
79.WE COMMIT OURSELVES to strengthening and deepening supportive cooperation relations among the peoples of Africa and South America in order to recognize our cultural and historic heritage so as to coordinate efforts to guarantee education as a public, human right and universal asset based on the principles of social equality, inclusion and relevance in accordance with the Millennium Development Goals in the field of education.
80.WE RECOGNIZE the incidence of illiteracy as a factor of social exclusion in the development of our countries. We therefore agree to consolidate efforts, from a perspective of social and gender equality, to contribute to eradicate this scourge through the exchange and the promotion of successful practices in the field of teaching to read and write with a view to reaching the Millennium Development Goals.
81.WE TAKE NOTE that chewing coca leaves is an ancestral cultural manifestation of the Bolivian people, which must be respected by the international community.
82.WE UPHOLD the commitment to exchange experts and develop joint research projects on the contribution of the African Diaspora to the culture of the peoples of South America and we support the arrangements being advanced for the 2nd African Union Diaspora Summit, to be held in the near future.
83.WE CALL for the holding of festivals, meetings and other types of exchanges enabling mutual knowledge and cultural and human enrichment. We congratulate the countries that have implemented initiatives in this regard.
84.WE REAFFIRM our commitment to advance in the acquisition and transfer of knowledge in the field of cultural heritage. WE ALSO EXPRESS our concern over the illegal export, import and transfer of ownership of cultural property from our countries. WE FINALLY EMPHASIZE the need for the full implementation of the 1970 and 1995 Conventions of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on returning the cultural properties to the countries of origin.
XIII.ENVIRONMENT
85.WE UNDERLINE the need to embrace the issue of climate change within the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol, in accordance with the principles, norms and commitments set forth in the said international juridical framework. We highlight the relationship between the historical responsibility of developed countries for global warming and the obligation of those countries, as Parties to the Convention, to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases. We underline the need to define, in 2009, more ambitious reduction targets for developed countries for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol and, also, of comparable mitigation commitments and actions for all developed countries. Moreover, we agree on the need to continue fostering positions of consensus within the Group of 77 plus China in the process of negotiation of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action, created by the Bali Action Plan.
86.WE REAFFIRM the need for a strong political commitment of the developed countries based on their historical responsibility, including those countries that did not adhere to the Kyoto Protocol to adopt and comply with their emission reduction commitments. WE OPPOSE any intention of modifying the balance of rights and obligations established in the Kyoto Protocol in respect of the mitigation commitments.
87.WE REITERATE our support for the Special Climate Change Fund aimed at developing countries, which works for the strengthening of domestic capacities in the face of climate imbalances and disasters. We therefore urge developed countries to make urgent and substantial contributions permitting developing countries to make use of the financial resources needed to take early adaptation actions. We commit ourselves to working towards achieving the outcome agreed upon within the framework of the Bali Action Plan of 2007 at the 15th Conference of the Parties, to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2009, and which we hope will enable a full, effective and sustained implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In this regard, we pledge to promote our positions in the said conference.
88.WE REITERATE our political commitment regarding the implementation of the 10 year Strategic Plan and Framework to foster the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), approved by the 8th Conference of the Parties, at all levels.
89.WE TAKE NOTE of the national initiative undertaken by Ecuador, called Yasuní-ITT and aimed, among other aspects, at promoting the exploration and development of alternative sources to obtain revenues, reduce the non-sustainable production of natural resources and optimize the conservation of biological diversity.
90.WE ALSO TAKE NOTE of the project the Great Green Wall of Africa with a view to stop the desert from advancing in the Saharo-Sahelian region.
XIV.INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION AND SHARED VIEW ON APPROPRIATE PRACTICES
91.WE BELIEVE in a new conception of international economic relations fostering actively South-South exchange and based on the principles of transparency, complementarities, cooperation and solidarity, and enabling an adequate distribution of the benefits derived from the exchange of goods and services, in compliance with the norms of the multilateral trade system, supported by new instruments and regional financial institutions and strengthening the comprehensive development of peoples through the utilization of the potentials existing in their national territories.
92.WE RECOGNIZE and commit ourselves to undertaking efforts to promote sustainable and productive development, sharing best practices in fostering the development of micro and small enterprises and other alternative forms of production, the promotion of micro finances and the training and education of human resources for work enabling to contribute to the well-being of our peoples and to sustainable development as an engine of transformation in the fight against poverty and social exclusion.
XV.FOLLOW-UP MECHANISM
93.WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT the Africa-South America Follow-up Mechanism that was established under the Abuja Declaration and urge Member States to give it the necessary support in the fulfillment of its mandate. The Follow-up Committee comprising High-Level Officials shall be responsible for proposing new initiatives and undertaking actions on previously agreed programs and projects, reviewing the progress of their implementation and disseminating information about cooperation arrangements. It shall also follow up on Ministerial and Summit decisions, and submit recommendations to Summits.
94.WE TAKE NOTE of the proposals contained in the “Nueva Esparta Implementation Plan” as well as the “Implementation Programme” of the ASA Declaration and Plan of Action presented by the South American and African parties, respectively. Both documents are annexed to the current Declaration. Expressing our satisfaction over the inaugural meetings of the eight ASA Work Groups, WE AGREE that the ASA Member States shall meet within six months at the Senior Officials level with the objective of producing a harmonized ImplementationProgramme that will define the prioritized projects, timeframe for implementation and financial mechanisms, these will then be submitted for approval during the next Ministerial Meeting.
95.In order to ensure effective implementation of this Declaration and the Implementation Plan, WE AGREE TO REINFORCE the Follow-up Mechanism as follows:
i.A meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs for implementing actions will be held parallel to the 65th United Nations General Assembly;
ii.Regular meetings of the various Working Groups will take place at least once a year to ensure the full implementation of the projects they envisaged;
iii.A meeting will be held with the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, as host country of the Second ASA Summit; the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the host country of the Third ASA Summit; Brazil and Nigeria, as Regional Coordinators; the Chairperson of the African Union Commission; and Ecuador, as Pro Tempore President of UNASUR in order to evaluate this Bi-Regional Mechanism as well as the execution of the Nueva Esparta Implementation Plan and the Nueva Esparta Programme of Implementation.
96.WE GLADLY ACCEPT the offer of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to host the Third Africa – South America Summit (ASA) in 2011.
In case there is mass violation to human rights in Honduras, we’ll have to intervene immediately
Caracas, Sept 28 ABN.- “If there is mass violation to the human rights in Honduras, we might have to intervene in the country for the security of the population and the whole continent,” stated on Monday the General Secretary of the Organization of American States (OAS), Jose Miguel Insulza.
At a press conference celebrated at the OAS seat in Washington today, Insulza stressed that he will devote to the issue of Honduras until the institutionality and democracy is carried back to the Central American country.
“I will devote to the issue of Honduras until there is democracy in Honduras. The situation calls for it because with this de facto government the peace and security in the continent are threatened.”
Moreover, he added that “There is a breaking to the constitutionality of the country and I hope we succeed by means of diplomacy so as to solve the conflict, though the de facto foreign minister has said that he does not believe in diplomacy,” Insulza stressed.
Likewise, he commented that the visit of the OAS mission will take place when the results are evident, in which the only negotiable thing is the return to the constitutionality and democracy in Honduras.
“An OAS mission means to have answers, we will not go there unless we have them,” the General Secretary said.
Furthermore, he commented that if the de facto government carries out the elections, these would not be recognized. “The elections in Honduras will not be recognized unless democracy and Zelaya are returned to Honduras.”
United Nations Office on Drugs recognizes Venezuela’s effort to fight against drugs
Porlamar, Sept 28. ABN.- The Regional Representative for United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Jose Manuel Martinez Morales, recognized the effort made by Venezuela on its fight against drugs.
The statements were made during the opening ceremony of the Nineteenth Meeting of the Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (HONLEA) Latin America and the Caribbean, taking place in Porlamar, Nueva Esparta state (Venezuela’s northeast).
“The biggest drug seizures seem to be concentrated in Latin America and Europe. South America seized 45% out of the world total. Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador the highest amount of seizures,” he said.
Martinez Morales stated that the last numbers collected show that about 900 tons of cocaine are produced and distributed each year.
The studies carried out in this field indicate that a great amount comes from South America towards Europe and United States.
Africa is also going through serious problems dealing with this issue. Nigeria and Gambia stand out as the countries with biggest problems on drug trafficking and consumption.
In this sense, Martinez said that “multilateral offices must assume the challenge on drug control, with a sustained effort and a better use of the resources.”
Therefore, he made a call to HONLEA participants to intensify the efforts made on the drug area.
The delegates attending to the Nineteenth Meeting of the HONLEA Latin America and the Caribbean are committed to evaluate the situation on illicit drug trafficking and consumption, so as to propose joint projects allowing to carry out effective policies.
In this sense, there will be evaluated essentially the main regional tendencies on drug trafficking and measures to control it.
The Nineteenth Meeting of the HONLEA is taking place in Nueva Esparta state with the attendance of more than 100 international delegates.
Bank of the South will not impose IMF and World Bank humiliating conditions
Caracas, Sept 28 ABN.- The recently created Bank of the South is a financial entity that will bestow funds to the State parties so as to attack social problems but without the humiliating conditions of other multilateral entities, as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, for instance.
The above statement was issued by the Venezuelan Minister of Economy and Finances, Ali Rodriguez Araque, after his participation on the II Africa-South America Summit (ASAS), which was carried out during the weekend in Margarita island, Nueva Esparta state, northeast of Venezuela.
“The Bank of the South comes to overcome the asymmetries showed by other financial entities. The purpose is to create a fund in which we allocate resources so as to attack different problems of a social nature, beginning with projects to reduce poverty and decrease the unemployment rate,” he explained.
Moreover, the Minister added that now the integration in South America not only embraces the areas of energy, infrastructure, culture and trade, but that it will also comprise the financial integration.
Likewise, Rodriguez Araque added that initially the bank is to finance only projects of the member States, though they do not dismiss the possibility of developing projects outside the borders of the region.
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE RESISTANCE IN HONDURAS
Posted in Blogroll on September 23, 2009
The National Front of Resistance Against the Coup d’Etat, in view of recent developments brutally repressive executed by the military dictatorship of Mr. Roberto Micheletti , at the national and international public opinion denounces the following:
1. We condemn the brutal repression that runs the military dictatorship against the people who protest peacefully celebrating the return of President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras. This repression has expanded to neighborhoods and villages through aggression and military police indiscriminate and brutal. It is so great that the dictatorship has conditioned both stadiums to house arrest under the pretext of the curfew, so we demand the immediate release of all political prisoners.
We condemn the inhuman measures it has implemented the usurper regime against the people who are in the Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil, including the President and his family, fellow refugees Resistance there and diplomats of the embassy, such as cutting electricity and shortages of potable water service, so we denounce before the world outrage and calls for reinforced international solidarity to move from statements to action.
Given in the city of Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. at 22 days of September, 2009
Popular Uprising in Honduras: Barrios, colonies, villages and hamlets are fighting back the repression forces of the dictatorship. Micheletti confronts a popular rebellion
Posted in Blogroll on September 23, 2009
Honduran News Networks- RHN. Tegucigalpa, Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009, 18:30 (2.30 AM CET) .- The de facto regime Micheletti – Vasquez Velasquez is in deep trouble to control the popular uprising sparked by the repression of its military and police forces to leave the streets adjacent to the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa.
At different points in the capital, residents took to the streets to protest against the repression of girls and women who slept in the streets near the Brazilian diplomatic mission to protect the constitutional President of the Republic José Manuel Zelaya Rosales who takes refuge there since Monday 21 September yesterday after circumvent the services of “intelligence” of the Armed Forces of Honduras.
The military-police siege has not stopped members of the Resistance Front against the coup Divanna the Torocagua, Herd of Amid, San Francisco, the Kennedy Calpules, Las Vega, El Pedregal, Cerro Grande The West Central America, El Picachito, Los Jucos, the Morazán and many neighborhoods and colonies have revolted and are being redesigned for larger shares tomorrow.
Despite the shooting of National Police officers and soldiers of the Armed Forces of Honduras residents of different neighborhoods and colonias of Tegucigalpa able to confront repression and fight them back. Youth and women are still making history and learning the best kind of national reality that no university can provide.
The names of neighborhoods and neighborhoods that resist the usurpers were embodied in the memory of future generations and the example of young people and women of the Resistance not ever be forgotten.
Actions similar to those experienced in Tegucigalpa Honduras live in and conduct all Hondurans are similar everywhere: Resist to throw out the civil and military dictatorship presiding Roberto Micheletti and Romeo Vasquez Velasquez. (EMC)
Pictures from the repression in Honduras yesterday
Posted in Blogroll on September 23, 2009 by neo
UN General Assembly begins discussions with attention given to Honduras
The theme of Honduras will receive special attention in discussions of the UN General Assembly. (Photo: File)
In the list of speakers scheduled for discussions at the UN General Assembly, the name Zelaya. (Photo: File) While not confirmed the participation of the legitimate president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, the list of speakers scheduled for the afternoon session of discussions of the UN General Assembly, his name appears on the sixth turn.
Coup in Honduras
_ TeleSUR ago: 01 hours
With nearly a week of interventions president and heads of state from over 180 countries of the multilateral body, the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization (UNO) on Wednesday began its 64th session with the focus on developments in Honduras.
Read More…
!! POPULAR UPRISING IN HONDURAS!
Posted in Blogroll on September 23, 2009
From the Honduran Resistance Blog: http://resistenciamorazan.blogspot.com/
The tribal people of the capital, stigmatized by the sign that the alleged indifference to his country, has taken to the streets in defiance of all prudence would suggest that if there are threats of death (literal, as the army moved in sound trucks threatening death to anyone who came out to the street) all indicate that people stay in their homes … but no.
The people of the old town Laurel Way, Col. Kennedy, Col. Los Pinos, Col. Villanueva, The Deal, Col Manche, Col 21 February; Col. El Pedregal, Barrio El Bosque, Col El Picachito; Col Cerro Grande Col Glen; Col Victor F. Ardon; Calpules, La Vega, Cerro Grande, America West Center, The Picachito, Los Jucos, the Morazán and increasingly settlers, settlers, simple people of the streets has left their homes to fight house to house, to control their neighborhoods and take the police and army from their places.
The organization goes from spontaneity to systemic resistance is taken body and more and more people incorporated themselves, angry voices are raised, fists, wills turned into anger in people’s power, in need of change beyond the so-called return to constitutional government, the struggle is growing stronger by the National Constituent Assembly, while the anger grows when we learn that follows the curfew-state of siege “that seeks captured in our homes and neighborhoods … The people have said NO, but it goes to prove without a doubt.
black hands Never cracks!
The repression was extended last night into the barrios of Tegucigalpa,Honduras
Posted in Blogroll on September 23, 2009 by neo
September 22, 2009 .- In telephone from Tegucigalpa, Pereira would say the international commission of the National Front Against the Coup in Honduras told us that “the repression has been extended to the barrios and colonias of Tegucigalpa and other parts of the country. There was repression in the neighborhood of La Cañada, which is just a colony of teachers, where they are raiding homes. Also suppressed the colony Cerro del Picacho, among others. They are throwing tear gas bombs and raiding houses and, obviously, this has greatly affected the population. ”
According to the information handled by Pereira, “is spoken of more than 2000 people who are detained at a checkpoint. There is also talk of around 150 detainees in Tegucigalpa and 50 in San Pedro Sula. ”
In view of this “excessive repression, the National Front will meet during the day and take some positions,” added Pereira.
“The fear that exists is that the Brazilian embassy attack” since the two adjoining houses on either side of the embassy has been raided. “They probably want to assassinate President Mel Zelaya” I think Pereira, “but all this falls on speculation.”
According to a statement posted on the front page of the National Counter-Strike in Honduras at 11am, it is calling “all the resistance …. To a peaceful demonstration tomorrow Wednesday 23 at 8:00 versus Pedagogical University Francisco Morazán. ”
The people is in insurrection in Honduras. Today 23th the decisive battle will be on the streets.
Posted in Blogroll on September 23, 2009 by neo
In Front of the complaint made by the President of Honduras Manuel Zelaya on the conspiracy of the coup leaders to storm the Embassy of Brazil at 11:00 pm local time to kill him, “the decision is that we all will struggle with everything.”
So said Ricardo Arturo Salgado, social researcher active in the resistance and regular contributor Honduran Aporrea, via telephone from Tegucigalpa, who informed us about the situation of insurrection that is living at this hour in Honduras.
“There is a backlash of resistance in many areas of Tegucigalpa in what we call Dire districts and colonies that are about 15-20 highly populated neighborhoods who frankly are in full insurrection against the police fighting against the army and even against paramilitaries, we have evidence that paramilitaries are engaged in fighting in the streets in some of the colonies. ”
He added that “The police are trying to retake positions but the insurrection of the people is in places far apart geographically one of the other. In general we can say is that there is a situation of insurrection, with the advantage at this point that the police helicopter fired on people today can not go out at night. ”
On the critical situation in Tegucigalpa, said “all the shops are closed and there are shortages of food, medicine and any time it might happen looting of shops, because people are moving into despair.”
“Moreover, it appears that although there is no news about it so abundant in the interior of the country there are strong protests insurrectional into smaller areas. This has to do with the tactics of isolated concentrations of the marches, but tomorrow we are calling on everyone to march. ”
“People have taken the decision to resist spontaneously and the line gave the Front was, for today had to endure in places where they live.”
We confirmed that the National Front Against the Coup in Honduras is planned for tomorrow, Wednesday, a march that started the 8 am in the Pedagogical University Francisco Morazán.
In closing, said he wanted to reiterate that “there is a plan that has blackouts at 11 at night, even the coup plotters have doctors to raise the medical report of the killings that are planned.”
So made the call to all the alternative media is to join the campaign to denounce the coup plot have for tonight.
Micheletti ought to leave the country immediately, Daza says
Posted in Blogroll on September 23, 2009 by neo
Sept 22 – Honduras’ dictator Roberto Micheletti ought to leave the country immediately, since the return of President Manuel Zelaya and the pressure of the people have placed the situation in decisive terms in order to restore the democracy and the rule of law in the Central American country.
The statement was issued on Tuesday by the president of the Foreign Policy Permanent Commission of the Venezuelan Parliament, Deputy Roy Daza, who expressed that the popular resistance has cornered and isolated “a government that has not been able to rule the Central American country not even one day since it dictatorially took office last June 28.”
Zelaya’s arrival puts the situation in the field of political and juridical need, so that the dictator Roberto Micheletti abandons right now the country or is subdued by the security forces of the State.
Moreover, he added that the one who performs his duties right now in the Honduran territory is the legitimate and constitutional president of that nation, Manuel Zelaya.
According to Daza, it is essential to start a talk with the different sectors upon the base of a national re-encounter, an understanding, as long as dictator Micheletti and his group of minions abandon the country.
Regarding the international participation so as to find a solution to the conflict, the Venezuelan Deputy expressed that the Organization of American States (OAS) made the declaration it had to.
According to him, the OAS Secretary Jose Miguel Insulza reaffirmed the stance of such institution and that the United Nations Organization should pronounce as well about the matter.
“The international community does not recognize the de facto government, but President Manuel Zelaya. It is the Honduran people who today place the situation in decisive terms in order to restore the democracy and the rule of law in Honduras.”
Likewise, the lawgiver recalled that the Latin American presidents, among them Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez Brazil’s Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva, have maintained a fair and correct decision with regards to the situation in Honduras.
“All of them have maintained solidarity with Zelaya and the fact that he has returned to Honduras is an irrefutable evidence of that solidarity.”
Furthermore, Daza informed that groups inclined to the dictator have repressed and even shot most inconsiderately against the Brazilian Embassy to Tegucigalpa, where Zelaya is with his family and some collaborators.
“They have launched an intense repression against the Honduran people and they have extended the curfew up to 6 in the afternoon; it is to say, they have turn it permanent. But people have broken it and they continue in the streets.”
OAS resolution must include people’s right to call for a Constituent Assembly in Honduras
Posted in Blogroll on September 23, 2009 by neo
Caracas, Sept 21.- The Embassador of Honduras to Venezuela, German Espinal, considers that it is necessary that the resolution issued by the Organization of American States (OAS) includes the constitutional benefit Honduran people have of calling a Constituent Assembly.
The statements were made on Monday during an interview at the TV show Dando y Dando, broadcast by the Venezuelan state-run channel Venezolana de Television, in the occasion of the return of the legitimate President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, to his country after almost three months due to a military coup.
“The OAS resolution apart from demanding the restitution of the President, the reconstruction of democracy and Zelaya’s integrity, it should add the social demands of the Honduran people, which started with all these issue: the Constituent,” said Espinal making reference to the results of the extraordinary meeting of the OAS.
Likewise, he said he agrees that the San Jose Agreement should be signed, because it would give a fair result for both parties in the conflict, putschists and Zelaya.
“International community has an opportunity to create a suitable environment; thus, Honduras could have a satisfactory and transparent process, helping to go out from this crisis despite pressures put by groups of power,” he added.
In this sense, Espinal said that the OAS has the opportunity to vindicate itself if the Organization “can bring both parties to a negotiation table and reach fair results for Honduran people.”
Dictatorship in Honduras attacks Brazil ambassy.
Radio Report Released – 22 September in the morning
Audios from the repression of a few minutes ago. Tuesday at 5 am police and army troops dislodged tip of tear gas, beatings and the firing of live ammunition, thousands of people camped outside the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa from yesterday, leaving the balance provisional two people dead with head shots and many beaten and arrested. While members of the resistance are trying to regroup, at this time last minute reports of the police commandos are storming the embassy with the aim of capturing the President Manuel Zelaya, who is with his family inside.
All countries face curfew 24 hours, which prevents thousands of people were moving from all over the country are being detained on the road. It also closed all airports and preventing the entry of the foreign press.
Resistance spokesmen are calling on the Security Council United Nations to take immediate action to avoid a bloodbath that is already happening, and restore the constitutional order.
Many who were participating in the vigil outside the embassy we have taken refuge in nearby houses and that police beat everyone she finds on the street.
Please spread this news.
The police and army have thrown tear gas into the Brazilian Embassy and the curfew have turned the country into a vast concentration camp.
The soldiers destroyed the vehicles of members of the Resistance
Zelaya has been proposing the dialogue but turned violent gorillas. The whole country is completely paralyzed.
News Flash!! Honduran dictatorship repressing demonstrators outside Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa
September 22. 2009. – The Honduran police and military force under the command of the dictatorship, began this Tuesday morning repressive actions against hundreds of people remain around the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, where the legitimate president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, After his return on Monday in a surprise.
This was reported teleSUR correspondent Adriana Sivori, who said that the military forces were deployed around the embassy to evacuate. The curfew was extended until 6:00 pm.
In his third attempt to return to Nicaragua, the constitutional representative from the embassy, said yesterday that “my back is almost a matter of conscience, bound and also peaceful with great responsibility, which is what has always characterized us “he said.
Zelaya was forced out of their territory by the military on 28 June this year, which resulted in the illegal installation of the former president of the Honduran Congress, Roberto Michelleti as president of Honduras.
However, the people and the international community have expressed their unqualified rejection of this scheme and have requested an immediate return to power of Zelaya.
Urgent!! Urgent!! Honduras: army and police repression against Brazil Embassy. Stop the dictatorship in Honduras!!
Tuesday September 22, 2009 06:58
Honduran Red News – RHN. Tegucigalpa, Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 .- At approximately 5:30 am today the National Police supported by members of the Armed Forces of Honduras (Army, Navy and Air Force) stormed the streets adjacent to the Embassy Brazil to violently evict the members of the Resistance who remained awake to protect the President of the Republic of Honduras, José Manuel Zelaya Rosales, who took refuge in the embassy since yesterday.
Until this morning, when at 6:00 am, reported several bullet wounds and are still heard shots nourished firearms of the repressive forces of the de facto regime to evict the protesters from the Resistance.
Communications redientes with Israel Salinas, a member of the leadership of the National Front of Resistance against the coup, which last night left the comfort of the embassy to remain in the street with members of the Resistance, told this correspondent the suppression of the forces Police and the Army to use tanks, heavy weapons and tear gas. Salinas left the area walking to the embassy to coordinate with the rest of his teammates to take actions to cope with the new situation created by market forces supporting the coup.
In the sky of the capital helicopteritos well hear the military and the police to fly in an attempt to monitor the movement of demonstrators in the Resistance, lie in the street youth face stones with the police and heavily armed military rely on a tank that sprays water with chemicals that produce skin burn.
At the Embassy of Brazil remains the President of Honduras, José Manuel Zelaya Rosales, with his wife, children and young granddaughter and several members of the security team of the Resistance to protect you from the neighboring houses and took refuge in it when will start the police and military assault.
Yesterday, Roberto Michelety (Gorilety), the figurehead of the de facto regime in its last television appearance to respond to the presence of Zelaya Rosales of Honduras appeared surrounded by military and private members supporting him in this adventure coup, which would be the who decided the actions that have caused several wounded today in the capital.
Since yesterday it was decreed an illegal curfew by the de facto military regime took control of the facilities of the National Electricity Company (ENEE) and cut electricity in circuits that provide service in the area where it is located Embassy of Brazil that had to resort to its own plant to avoid being in the dark.
Radio Globo and Channel 36, means that oppose the de facto regime, remain off the air and you can not receive independent of what happens in the vicinity of Palmyra neighborhood where the embassy is located in Brazil. (EMC)
Latin America and the End of Social Liberalism.
by James Petras
The current world recession and the potential recovery of some countries reveals all the weaknesses of the traditional “export market” – free trade – comparative advantage doctrines. Nowhere is this more evident than in the recent experience of Latin America.
Despite recent popular upheavals and the ascent of center-left regimes in most of the countries in the region, the economic structures, strategies and policies pursued, followed in the footsteps of their predecessors particularly in relation to foreign economic practices.
Influenced by the sharp demand and rise in prices of commodities, especially agro-mineral and energy products, the Latin American regimes, backed off from any changes in several crucial areas and adapted to the policies and economic legacies of their neo-liberal predecessors. As a result, with the world wide recession beginning in 2008, they suffered a sharp economic decline with severe social consequences.
The resulting socio-economic crises provides important lessons and reinforces the notion that deep structural changes in investment, trade, ownership of strategic economic sectors is essential to stable, sustained and equitable growth.
Read More…
Unasur Defense Council to debate on military bases in Colombia
Caracas, Sept 08 ABN.- Aiming at analyzing the United States military bases in Colombian territory, the Defense Council of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) is to meet in Quito next September 15, confirmed on Tuesday the Ecuadorean Defense Minister, Javier Ponce.
According to the information released by the Bolivian Information Agency (ABI), the Ecuadorean official expressed that it would be beneficial that the Colombian Defense Minister comes to the next meeting, called for next Tuesday Sept. 15.
Quito broke relations with Colombia on March 03 2008 as a protest against the Colombian military attack to a guerrilla camp clandestinely settled in Ecuador, in an area close to the border.
During the recent Unasur Presidential Summit, which took place in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, the Heads of State agreed that their Defense Ministers and Foreign Ministers will meet on September so as to tackle with the Colombian issue, which raised concern among the presidents.
Ecuador exerts now the Unasur pro tempore presidency. The foreign Ministers of the member countries of this body will meet in a date still to be determined in order to analyze the recommendations of the political, defense and social councils.
The Unasur Defense Council aims at devising measures to boost the confidence and security in the region.
Honduran de facto government failed on plan to exhaust popular movement
Caracas, Sept 09 ABN.- Though the de facto government in Honduras has tried to exhaust the popular movement in the course of time, after 73 days of resistance, the National Front against the Coup d’état continues having a great support and a continual activity.
The above statement was affirmed to the Venezuelan state-run news agency ABN by the assistant secretary to the Confederation of Education Workers of the Republic of Argentina (CTERA) and elected deputy to the Buenos Aires city, Francisco Nenna, who is now in Honduras. Read More…
Playing the ‘Anti-Semitism’ Card Against Venezuela and Chavez
In the early morning hours of January 31, vandals broke into Tiferet Israel, a Sephardic synagogue in Caracas. They strewed sacred scrolls on the floor and scribbled “Death to the Jews” and other anti-Semitic epithets on the walls, before making off with computer equipment and historical artifacts. Understandably, the incident frightened and upset many in the Venezuelan Jewish community. Right away, U.S. news outlets, including The New York Times and The Miami Herald, linked the incident to Venezuela’s increasingly strained relations with Israel, after the two countries suspended diplomatic relations two weeks earlier over Israel’s bombing of Gaza, then still under way.
A Herald editorial went so far as to describe an “official policy of anti-Semitism” in Venezuela and implied that Chávez’s foreign policy had unleashed a wave of anti-Semitic violence in the country, culminating in the assault on the synagogue.[1] Some international NGOs were no more nuanced. Just hours after the break-in, the U.S.-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL) was already implicitly comparing the Chávez government to the Nazis, calling the synagogue attack “a modern-day Kristallnacht.”[2] Read More…
Chavez and Press Images
Some days ago we analysed the presence of the Venezuelan president in the headlines (see “Chávez and headlines“- in Spanish), now we are able to observe the use -and abuse- of the image of Hugo Chávez in the images of the press. These examples show the association of his photograph with negative elements in a deceptive way.
In the first case we have a news article from the daily El Periódico de Cataluña (the Newspaper of Cataluña) on the 14th of August, that picks up a report from Time magazine about the worst dressed political leaders. The subject matter of the US magazine was already an example of frivolity in establishing a ranking of the best dressed leaders and not those who teach literacy or provide public healthcare to their citizens. On the homepage of its online edition, the Spanish daily develops its own headline: ” Dictators top the list of the worst dressed politicians” and it illustrates this not with an image of Pinochet, Mohamed VI or any emir or monarch of the Persian gulf, but with a photograph of Hugo Chávez.
A few days after, on the 27th of August, the news was that the Venezuelan parliament approved a plan of a law to prohibit the making, sale and renting of military video games or toys. On the homepage of the online edition of the daily Público they put the title “Chávez, against war games” and, paradoxically, they place a montage composed of an image of the Venezuelan president aiming a telescopic rifle and another photo attached of a blood stained action figure the same size as the president.
The utilisation of a photo of Chávez with a rifle appears to be getting a lot of use: the following day, El País included it again in a report entitled “South America re-enforces its arsenal“. The curious thing is that the reason for the article is the us by the US of seven military bases in Colombia and that, as the text recognises, it is Uribe who has assigned 5, 500 million dollars for Defence in 2008 and Brazil, 15, 500 million, while Venezuela has needed three years in order to buy armaments for 4,600 million euros. Even the purchase of a hundred thousand rifles from Russia that it gives as an example of an arms race by Venezuela was more than three years ago, in June 2006.
Resorting to including a deceptive image possesses the subtlety that it doesn’t appear to be an explicit lie but, nevertheless, its impact is greater than that of data or a false statement in the text because the images and the headlines are the first thing that the reader sees, and in many cases the only thing because they don’t read the article. In these two examples it is evident that you they aren’t casual interpretations, but rather, pre-meditated and deliberate ones. It goes without saying that if this is the use that they give to images in the written press, the possibilities for manipulation in television are endless.
Oliver Stone: “The Truth about Hugo Chávez”
South of the Border is Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone’s record of a trip to Venezuela to meet the president, Hugo Chávez. Ahead of the film’s premiere at the Venice film festival on Monday, Stone writes about his hopes for the film, and the future of US foreign policy in the region.
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I’ve been fortunate to be able to make several films about North America’s neglected “backyard” – Central and South America.
The low-budget, independently-shot Salvador, about the US involvement with the death squads of El Salvador, and starring James Woods in an Oscar-nominated performance, was released in 1986; this was followed by Comandante in 2003, and Looking for Fidel in 2004, with both of these documentaries exploring Fidel Castro in one-on-one interviews.
Each of these films has struggled to be distributed in North America. I was invited to Venezuela to meet President Hugo Chávez for the first time during his aborted rescue mission of Colombian hostages, held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), during Christmas of 2007.
As is often the case, the man I met was not the man I’d read and heard about in the US media. I was able to return in January 2009 to interview President Chávez in more depth. Was Hugo Chávez really the anti-American force we’ve been told he is? Once we began our journey, we found ourselves going beyond Venezuela to several other countries, and interviewing seven presidents in the region, telling a larger and even more compelling story, which has now become South of the Border. Leader after leader seemed to be saying the same thing. They wanted to control their own resources, strengthen regional ties, be treated as equals with the US, and become financially independent of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Based on our experiences in Iraq, Americans must question the role of our media in demonising foreign leaders as our enemies. The consequences of this can be brutal.
This is a continuing story. It is going on right now with Hugo Chávez in Venezuela. Hopefully, in our film, you’ll get to hear a far different side of the “official” story.
Watch a world exclusive trailer from Oliver Stone’s South of the Border
Honduran de facto government failed on plan to exhaust popular movement
Caracas, Sept 09 ABN.- Though the de facto government in Honduras has tried to exhaust the popular movement in the course of time, after 73 days of resistance, the National Front against the Coup d’état continues having a great support and a continual activity.
The above statement was affirmed to the Venezuelan state-run news agency ABN by the assistant secretary to the Confederation of Education Workers of the Republic of Argentina (CTERA) and elected deputy to the Buenos Aires city, Francisco Nenna, who is now in Honduras. Read More…
