February 24, 2010 - No. 40
Historic Latin American and Caribbean
Unity Summit
Community of Latin American and
Caribbean States (CELC) Creates Organization to Replace the OAS!
Felipe Calderón,
President of host nation Mexico, inaugurates the Unity Summit of Latin
American and
Caribbean Nations in
Cancun on February 22, 2010.
Historic Latin American and Caribbean
Unity Summit
• Community of Latin American and Caribbean
States (CELC) Creates Organization to Replace the OAS!
Evo Morales Speaks to the Mexican People
• "We All Have a Responsibility to Save
Humanity"
Haiti -- One Month After the Earthquake
• Harper Praises Military Spending as Key to
Aid Effort in Haiti
• Water, but Not Blessed - Leticia
Martínez Hernández, Granma
International
Coming Events
• Hamilton Public Lecture and Discussion on
Cuba's Environmental & Social Advances
• Toronto and Montreal Venezuela Solidarity
Rallies
Historic Latin American and Caribbean
Unity Summit
Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELC)
Creates Organization to Replace the OAS!
TML greets the formation of the Community of
Latin American and Caribbean States (CELC) with great joy. This new
formation, which will ultimately replace the Organization of American
States, is a vigorous expression of the Latin America and the Caribbean
peoples' desire for regional solidarity
and national sovereignty free from outside interference. The proposal
for such a body expressly excludes the U.S. and Canada which are viewed
as undermining the national sovereignty of
Latin American and Caribbean nations.
The CELC was formed at the Latin American Unity Summit
held from February 22-23 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It will be
formally established on July 5, 2011 at a summit in Caracas, once its
charter has been developed. The new body will amalgamate the Summit of
Latin America and the Caribbean
and the Rio Group, while it will co-exist with other sub-regional
organizations. The normal functions of the Group of Rio and the Latin
American and Caribbean Congress will continue until the new
organization's institutions are completely formed.
On Monday, in his opening speech to inaugurate the
summit, Calderón emphasized plans to create a new united
organization for the region, saying that hopes of unity across the
Americas was a dream in the early 19th century, when the region's
leaders began to fight for their independence from European
colonial powers. "The dream of unity is part of the independence we are
celebrating," Calderón said, referring to the start of Mexican
celebrations to mark 200 years of its independence. "And this summit
represents an important increase in our integration."
"Today we will be examining the first step, the jumping
off point for a new future," Calderón said. "Today we have the
opportunity to create a common space for all the peoples of Latin
America and the Caribbean."
The Rio Group and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
together comprise 33
countries. Of these 32 were represented at the summit (Honduras has
notably been excluded from Rio Group functions since the coup), 26 of
them by their presidents or prime ministers, including Raúl
Castro of Cuba, René
Préval of Haiti, Mauricio Funes of El
Salvador, Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, Hugo Chávez of Venezuela,
Álvaro Uribe of Colombia, Rafael Correa of Ecuador, Luiz "Lula"
Da Silva of Brazil,
Evo Morales of Bolivia, as well as Fernando Lugo of Paraguay,
President-Elect of Uruguay José Mujica, Michelle Bachelet of
Chile and Cristina Fernandez of Argentina, amongst
others. Peru, the
Bahamas, Guyana, Saint Lucia, Surinam and Trinidad and
Tobago are represented by members of their cabinets.
Besides the Rio Group and CARICOM, several other
regional bodies were represented at the summit: the Latin American and
Caribbean Economic System (SELA), the Latin America Integration
Association (LAIA), the Latin American Parliament, the Association of
Caribbean States (ACS), the Common
Market of the South (MERCOSUR), the Andean Community. Altogether, more
than twenty representatives of international bodies took part as
observers.
At the conclusion of
the summit, Mexican President Felipe Calderón,
indicated that Community of Latin American and Caribbean States was a
provisional name that might change at future meetings. "We have decided
to create an organization CELC that includes all the organizations of
Latin America and the Caribbean. We have decided to base an
organization on shared values including
sovereignty, opposition to the use of force including threats of force,
international cooperation, ever closer integration of Latin America and
the Caribbean and permanent political dialogue," he said.
In his closing speech to the
summit, Cuban President
Raúl Castro began with a fraternal message from the Cuban people
to Mexico, a country that gave shelter to many Latin Americans,
including the pioneers of the Cuban Revolution. Castro emphasized the
historical significance of the creation of such a mechanism, pointing
out that to be an
independent nation is an indispensable
requirement to join this body, which will be characterized by the
respect for cultural diversity and for the different geographic and
economic dimensions, the political system adopted by each country, the
disparity in natural resources and differences in social development,
he
pointed out. The next summit in Caracas will
be a great opportunity to conclude the work to make the organization
operational and Cuba will work hard to ensure this takes place, he
added.
President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, also pointed out the
historic significance of the decision to create a new regional
integration bloc without the presence of the United States. "Wherever
the United States is present, democracy is not guaranteed, peace with
social equity is not guaranteed," he said.
Venezuelan President Hugo
Chávez stated that
"The peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean are trying to retake
the path of our own republics, we are taking the path taken by Simon
Bolivar." He welcomed the
summit's unanimous decision to give his country "the great task of
starting to organize the [next] summit in July, 2011." He expressed his
hope that next year in Caracas it will be possible to approve the basic
principles of the organization, the community,
the unity of states or republics which has begun to be born. "We expect
that in a year, with hard work, the articles of incorporation and
basis of the organization can be approved. Whether it is in
Caracas, next year, or in Santiago, two years later, it does not
matter. What matters most is a good start to what is developing,"
Chávez stated.
President of Brazil Luiz "Lula" Da Silva said: "It is
important to remember that this Summit does not represent a minor
historic deed. I would rather say that it is a historic event of large
dimensions. [... We are affirming] our personality as a region that has
decided to create a Community of Latin American
and Caribbean countries [...] We are discovering ourselves as a region,
from the smallest island to the largest country." President Da Silva
pointed out that it is necessary to consolidate regional integration in
order to achieve real development in the individual countries. "We have
progressed in an extraordinary way,
because we are consolidating democracy as ever with this meeting," he
added.
As part of the summit's proceedings, President
Calderón on handed over the pro tempore
secretariat of the Rio Group to Chile, which will coordinate the
regional mechanism until 2012. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet in
accepting the post,
affirmed Chile's commitment to build regional unity and
solidarity. On the creation of the new regional body, Bachelet declared
countries have the task of consolidating the integration into a
fundamental political forum. She pointed out that countries in the
region are at a crucial juncture in which the socio-political
development of the peoples is a challenge for governments.
In her acceptance speech, President Bachelet told those assembled that
Chile was taking on the task of Rio Group secretariat at a time that
marks a watershed in world history. "The international community has
abandoned the idea of laissez faire, the idea that the market
can completely regulate itself,"
Bachelet said. "In the words of Mexican poet Octavio Paz, the market
has no mercy and no conscience."
The summit approved two main declarations, the
Declaration of Cancun, and the Declaration of the Unity Summit, which
establish the main programmatic commitments to political and economic
coordination and cooperation.
In addition, several other special documents were
passed on the following concerns: migratory cooperation, solidarity
with Haiti, a declaration on the Malvinas issue backing Argentina's
legitimate rights in its dispute with the UK, a resolution against the
economic, trade and
financial blockade the U.S. government has maintained against Cuba for
almost 50 years, as well as a declaration
congratulating Guatemala for the outcome of investigations
by the International Commission against Impunity. Likewise, the meeting
passed a resolution supporting Ecuador's commitment not to exploit 846
million barrels of oil that lie under the subsoil of Yasuní
National Park. Yet another document expresses solidarity with Ecuador
after
the Financial Action Task Force included
it, in a manipulative move, on the list of countries that have failed
to adequately address money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
Also on the agenda
was a discussion of Honduras' status within the Rio Group and its
successor organization because of the illegitimacy of the current
Porfirio Lobo regime put in place by the coup.
Firm Commitment to Rebuilding Haiti in Respect of Its
Sovereignty
In his speech to open the summit, President
Calderón described the work to rebuild Haiti as the "cause of
all Latin America and the Caribbean." He thanked President
Préval of Haiti (a Rio Group and CARICOM member) for taking
time to come to the conference when there are so many urgent needs in
his nation.
On Sunday, Mexico hosted a summit with CARICOM leaders
where Préval expressed his thanks to member nations for their
support. He reported that the death toll from the quake may reach
300,000 and that with the rainy season on the way, shelter for the
nation's 1.5 million homeless was Haiti's
highest priority.
President Bachelet, in accepting the secretariat of the
Rio Group remarked, "We are all working to face the difficult situation
that is taking place in one of our member nations, Haiti."
Bachelet added that the body would ensure that the nation can be
rebuilt better than before "as all Haitians
deserve."
President Da Silva called for strengthened solidarity
and concrete support for Haiti, noting that even before the earthquake
it was already facing huge structural problems.
Cuban President Raúl Castro declared that the
rebuilding of Haiti requires and merits long-term international aid of
great magnitude and that help should be unselfish, with complete
respect for the country's sovereignty and to its government and carried
out under UN authority.
He cited the example of Cuba's solidarity, which
has collaborated for more than a decade in Haiti, during which time its
doctors have carried out 14 million consultations, 200,000 surgeries,
100,000 births and 45,000 eye operations.
President Castro pointed out that President Hugo
Chávez, with his particular sensitivity and generosity, as well
as
Cuba and other countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of
Our America, plan to maintain and increase their efforts.
Presidents Calderón and Chávez each said
the grouping had committed new funds to Haiti. Calderón noted
that Haiti would get $25 million from the Inter-American Development
Bank and the Andean Development Corporation, while Chávez said
that the island nation would receive $30 million directly
from members.
U.S. Blockade of Cuba Denounced
President Castro expressed Cuba's appreciation for the
approval of the special document demanding the end of the unjust U.S.
economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba, as well as
the solidarity towards his country expressed at the summit. Cuban
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez who was part of Cuba's delegation to
the summit stated that "There is a unanimous position of
all the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean condemning the
U.S. blockade against Cuba and they urge the U.S. Government to
immediately lift it."
In his closing remarks, President Da Silva also
criticized the U.S. blockade against Cuba and expressed optimism for
its prompt end, as demanded by the international community.
Support for Argentine Claim over Malvinas
On the first day of the
proceedings, participants in the
Unity Summit gave their support to Argentina's claim of sovereignty
over the Malvinas (also known as the Falkland Islands) and rejected the
exploitation of oil resources in the area by the United Kingdom. "There
continues to be systematic violation
of international law that should be respected by all countries," said
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, addressing the plenary of the
summit. "On behalf of our government and my people I express thanks for
the support this meeting has thrown behind our claims."
Fernandez added her country will continue its efforts
to make the UK observe all the resolutions reaffirming Argentina's
sovereignty over the southern archipelago that was forcibly taken from
the South American country in 1833. She pointed out that the deployment
in the Malvinas of the Ocean Guardian,
an
oil
drilling platform belonging to British firm Desire Petroleum,
"is a violation of all of the United Nation's previous dispositions."
Buenos Aires,
Argentina, February 23, 2010: Demonstration against British oil
exploration in the Malvinas. Signs read
"British Out of the Malvinas."
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Several speakers in the first session expressed their
solidarity with the South American country regarding the unilateral
decision of the UK to engage in oil prospecting in the area.
"That is one of the clearest demonstrations of neocolonialism," said
President Chávez. President of Bolivia Evo Morales
also spoke out in support of Argentina's just claim.
President Da Silva also underscored that it was
necessary to demand that the United Nations reopen the debate over the
Malvinas. He also urged the United Nations to undertake its mandate in
a democratic manner and take an appropriate decision on the Malvinas,
which "are and have to be Argentinian."
Exclusion of Honduras
Regarding the absence of Honduras at the Summit,
President Da Silva stressed that the country was not invited because
it does not have a legitimate representative.
"Honduras is not here, and will not be, for a simple
reason, because even if Hondurans went to elections, they were called
by cutting short the presidency of a man [President Zelaya] who was
democratically elected. We cannot accept that those experiences of
military juntas in Honduras prevail in other
Latin American and Caribbean countries," the President of Brazil
emphasized.
In related news, the National Front of Popular
Resistance to the Coup in Honduras on February 19 issued a communique
addressed to the summit, which is posted below.
***
To the State and Government representatives who
comprise the Permanent Organization for Consultation and Political
Coordination meeting in Cancun, Mexico in the context of the 23rd
Summit of the Rio Group, we declare:
Honduras continues to live under a de facto
regime, installed and supported by force of arms since June 28, 2009 to
date, a period during which the Honduran people have been subject to
constant human rights violations.
In a vain attempt to mask the illegitimacy and
illegality of the actual regime the faces of the figures who administer
the state are being changed, but they are not succeeding in fooling
anybody because it is public knowledge that these people obey the same
powerful groups that are ordering the repression
and assassinations and preventing the development of a true democracy.
The electoral process, with which the new ombudsmen of
the dictatorship attempt to validate themselves, was clearly illegal,
having been organized and administered by the authorities complying
with the coup d'etat, who prevented the free participation of the
opposition and ignored the predominating
atmosphere of terror. For these reasons no credible institution,
government or regional integration organization sent observers to the
process.
The illegitimacy of the process was reinforced by the
abstention of the vast majority of the Honduran population from voting
and consequently the results are unknown. It is no accident that the
people are continuing their non-violent struggle to defeat the current
totalitarian regime and return to democratic
order.
The human rights situation is desperate and is
deteriorating. More assassinations, hostage-takings and persecution
against the people organized in the Popular Resistance have been
registered -- particularly since those charged with directing the State
security organs announced a military offensive to put
an end to the opposition to the regime.
Various sectors of the international community,
friendly governments, social organizations and defenders of human
rights have expressed their refusal to recognize the current regime.
For these reasons:
a. We call on the representatives of the government and
State members of the Rio Group to maintain your position of refusal to
recognize the Honduran dictatorship as long as the democratic
constitutional order is not re-established and the violations of human
rights are not ended.
b. We will continue our struggle regardless of the acts
of terror committed by the State controlled by the coup.
c. We thank the friendly governments and social
organizations for your concern about the serious situation our country
is going through and for your acts of solidarity to overcome the crisis.
(Translated from the
Spanish original by TML Daily)
Evo Morales Speaks to the Mexican People
"We All Have a Responsibility to Save Humanity"
On Sunday, February 21, more than 10,000 people attended
a public rally to welcome the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales to
Mexico. Invitations to the "Meeting with Bolivia" were sent far and
wide by the Bolivian Embassy to Mexico, the government of Mexico City,
the City of Coyoacan and Bolivian solidarity
committees in several Mexican states.
The purpose of the event was to facilitate a meeting
between President Evo Morales and Mexican social movements, indigenous
organizations, solidarity committees, workers, unions, academics and
the left. While waiting for President Morales to arrive, thousands of
participants attended a lively cultural
program in which several aboriginal dance troops and Bolivian and
Mexican musicians reflected the struggle of the indigenous peoples of
Bolivia and Mexico against Spanish and U.S. domination.
Several prominent figures of Mexican politics took the
floor to welcome President Morales, each highlighting the importance of
his recent election as Bolivia's first indigenous president. They
pointed out that a key significance of Morales' presidency is its
mandate to
listen to and serve the interests of the
indigenous nations of Bolivia, and its importance to the indigenous
peoples of the Americas, the anti-imperialist movement and for all
indigenous peoples of the world.
Addressing the crowd, President Morales began by
responding to representatives of the indigenous peoples in terms of
what he
thought they could do so as to be heard by those who hold power in
Mexico. He answered: "Organizing yourselves and uniting. We have the
experience of first waging struggle in the
social movement, the indigenous movement and then the unions, and we
finally had to recognize that it wasn't enough. Without holding the
power in our own hands, our rights would not be respected. We then
decided to enter the electoral struggle and take political power." He
stressed that it was not easy and that
from 1995 to his first election in 2005, he was the victim of a smear
campaign and attempts at humiliation. He was accused of being a drug
trafficker, a terrorist, a communist, ignorant and illiterate to the
point where the evening following his appointment by indigenous
organizations as their presidential candidate
in 2002, he wondered how such an individual could be elected president.
The following day they began the campaign by allying with the
communists, the socialists, the workers, the social movement and all
the democratic forces in the country. Then he said that, yes, Bolivia
was liberated and he would speak in defense
of indigenous nations, of Mother Earth and for the liberation of the
world from American imperialism, but that we all have the
responsibility to save humanity, and we must immediately organize
ourselves and unite. Speaking about the achievements of his government,
he
said that what he learned in the first four years
was to listen and then listen some more to the demands and
preoccupations of the various sections of the people, the indigenous
people, the workers, the intellectuals and academics, the healthcare
workers and correspondingly take the necessary measures to serve their
interests. This is why, he said, "We were not
afraid to nationalize the oil and gas reserves, we were not afraid to
reclaim our silver mines and thus realize a budgetary surplus in the
first year of power," ending more than 66 years of continuous deficits.
Addressing the economic question he highlighted that the people can
expect nothing good from the capitalist
system, that the rights to education, healthcare, the basic elements
for well-being cannot be achieved under capitalism, that the system
was the cause for their rebellion to achieve their well-being and that
is
why his government is engaging in what he calls developing community
socialism.
He continued by pointing out
the necessity to oust the U.S. imperialists from Latin America in order
for the peoples to
live without the threat of their aggression and interference and that
of their institutions like the International
Monetary Fund and World Bank. Bolivia is operating
without these institutions and life has improved and everyone must do
the same, he said. Coups, like the one in Honduras, and threats they
pose against progressive Latin American governments must be blocked. He
saluted the Cuban people and Fidel Castro for their courage and
determination in persevering with
the Cuban Revolution against the U.S. blockade and defending Cuba's
right to sovereignty. He also paid tribute to Venezuelan President Hugo
Chávez and all other leaders of progressive governments recently
elected in Latin America. He concluded by saluting the progressive and
revolutionary forces in Mexico and
uplifted the crowd by saying "Soon Mexico will be free!"
Haiti
-- One Month After the Earthquake
Harper Praises Military Spending as
Key to Aid Effort
in Haiti
A post on the Canada Haiti Action Network (CHAN) e-mail
list by Nik Barry-Shaw points out that "Harper, ever the Machiavellian,
cynically uses the destruction of the earthquake in Haiti to bolster
his militarist agenda and get some good PR for the Canadian military
[...]"
He continues:
During a tour of Haitian disaster zones, Prime Minister
Stephen Harper touted his government's military purchases and cited
current relief efforts as evidence his approach worked.
The Prime Minister used an address to soldiers in the
town of Leogane, vast swaths of which were reduced to rubble a month
ago, to stress his refurbishment of the military. He singled out the
purchase of C-17 transport planes for particular praise, saying those
new vehicles helped fly troops and supplies
to Haiti almost immediately.
"The entire planet has been able to witness that Canada
is now a major actor when it's time to intervene in natural disasters,"
Harper said in Tuesday's speech. "Everyone saw that Canada has the
equipment, the know-how, the capacity and the personnel to intervene
quickly and efficiently.
"And Canada now has a considerable advantage -- a fleet
of C-17s. Thanks to this multi-purpose airplane, Canada no longer has
to hitchhike its way to foreign deployments."
After taking power four years ago, the Conservatives
scrapped plans by the Liberals to buy a fleet of smaller transport
aircraft in favour of the hulking C-17. The government eventually
purchased four of the aircraft at a cost of $1.8 billion.
Harper arrived in Port-au-Prince on Monday in a C-17
carrying water filters, medical aid and other supplies.
The prime minister's comments come as the Canadian
Forces prepare to withdraw from Afghanistan at the end of next year,
ending Canada's most explicit demonstration of "hard power" in decades.
"This fleet of new aircraft, the C-17 fleet, is a big
part of making this response possible. I single out the C-17 for a
reason. There was a time when that kind of heavy lift aircraft didn't
fit Canada's soft-power policies," Mr. Harper told soldiers yesterday
at a steamy military camp on the city's outskirts
with a crumbled house as a backdrop.
"But our government bought them for the hard-power
requirements of today's word. Now we're using them for relief work.
"What is the moral of the story?" he asked. "To do soft
power, you need hard power. You need a full range of capabilities."
Much of the equipment and supplies that have been
airlifted into Haiti by Canada since the earthquake last month was
delivered on a Boeing C-17 Globemaster.
The Conservative government bought four of the giant
aircraft in 2007 for $1.8-billion plus an estimated $1.6-billion for 20
years of service.
The Conservatives have spent billions of dollars on
defence equipment since they came to office in 2006. But the C-17s were
among the most controversial purchases.
Water, but Not Blessed
- Leticia Martínez
Hernández, Granma International, February 18, 2010
Sous Shilove doesn't know that the French president was
in the city, much less that he promised $326 million in aid, along with
1,000 tents and 16,000 canvas tarpaulins for the start of the rainy
season. The young Haitian, who is the oldest son and therefore
responsible for his large family, only knows that the
rains have begun, and they will make things worse in the chaotic Champ
de Mars, the plaza where he and thousands of others have been living in
miserable conditions for more than a month.
Since January 13th, Sous Shilove and his family have
been sleeping underneath a few boards and old tarps in a space no
larger than two square meters. Their bodies "rest" on the ground every
night, but early yesterday morning, they couldn't even do that. An
intermittent rainstorm that began at 2 a.m.
and lasted almost three hours kept them awake and frightened. In the
morning, their few belongings were drying in the sun.
The young man explains that it has become very difficult
to find materials among the rubble to make a strong roof, because many
of the buildings that collapsed in the quake are now under state
control. Moreover, his home was plundered after the tragedy, and the
family was unable to save anything.
Sous told this reporter he did not know what the government's plans
were for helping people to confront the coming rains; he doesn't have
access to radio or TV. "People talk a lot, but we can't confirm
anything," he commented.
Maurais Philippe is extremely busy hammering a piece of
zinc that will soon be the "roof" of his "home." He is surrounded by
old mattresses, pillows and several changes of clothing hanging wet on
nearby trees. "Last night was terrible for us. We couldn't sleep; we
stayed awake to make sure the water
didn't come in." Has the family received any help? "Once they brought
us a little bit of rice, but that's not the main thing right now; we
are living here with children, and we have no way to protect them from
the rain. I found that roof in the trash."
At least Philippe's family has him to confront these
infernal days to come. But Siné Vinette is not so fortunate. The
mother of two children, she stood in front of the four wet sheets that
are now her home, waiting for who-knows-what. "I have nowhere else to
go," said the woman, exhausted by the
same misfortune that is darkening the days of 700,000-plus Haitians who
were left homeless by the quake.
And while work seemed to be speeding up yesterday in the
plazas surrounding the National Palace, with the installation of
bathrooms and the clean-up of sewers, uncertainty continued to prevail
among the people.
The tragedy doesn't end here. In addition to the
devastating quake that killed more than 200,000 people and injured
300,000 within one minute, now there are the torrential rains, which
even in normal times bring misfortune. The reasons: deforestation, poor
urban planning, an excess of garbage left
almost anyplace and especially in the drains of Port-au-Prince in
short, extreme and painful poverty.
It has been raining for two days in this capital, where
thousands of people are crowded into spaces exposed to the elements,
and diseases are beginning to spread which could turn into epidemics.
According to Luisa Verónica, a Dominican doctor who graduated
from Cuba's Latin American School of
Medicine (ELAM), and who is on one of the two medical teams working in
Dessalines Park, people are seeking treatment for respiratory
infections, many of them asthmatics whose condition has been aggravated
by the humidity of their shelters. Diarrhea and urinary infections also
abound, she said.
Dr. Yelayne Morell, who is heading the epidemiological
team that began treating people yesterday in that plaza — one of the
most crowded places following the Jan. 12 quake — said that the rains
bring an increase in vectors, especially mosquitoes, as well as the
possibilities of contracting dengue fever
and malaria. Health conditions will become worse, she said.
As the threat of rain continues threatening to fall, and
almost always does fall, the debate continues on how and where to build
camps to shelter thousands of people; whether it would be more
effective (or cheaper) to have tents or metallic roofs; whom to ask for
more aid; how to convince people that
this is not a temporary issue. And for now, Sous Shilove still does not
know what will become of him and his family, when the water, not at all
blessed, continues to come through the gaps in his "home."
Hamilton
Public Lecture and Discussion on Cuba's Environmental
& Social Advances
Against All Odds -- Cuba's Environmental
& Social Advances, Featuring Jorge Soberon,
Consul General of Cuba
in Toronto
Thursday,
February 25 -- 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Student Union Centre, Room 311/313, McMaster University
Refreshments Provided
Suggested Donation $5, Pay What You Can
Presented by:
Hamilton Friendship Association with Cuba
Sponsored by:
OLAS McMaster
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The
Hamilton
Friendship
Association
with
Cuba
is
pleased
to
announce its upcoming program with Mr. Jorge Soberon, the Consul
General of Cuba in Toronto, who will be visiting our city on February
25. We are inviting all McMaster University students, faculty, staff
and members of the Hamilton community
to join us for this evening lecture on campus at 6:00 pm. The lecture
is sponsored by the McMaster Organization of Latin American Students
(OLAS). This lecture is part of an exciting, day-long program for Mr.
Soberon in Hamilton, where he will be addressing high school and middle
school classes as well as workers
at USW Local 1005. This broad program reflects the deep links between
the Cuban people and all sectors of Canadian society. Hamiltonians of
all ages and from all walks of life are always eager to hear from their
Cuban friends on the basis of people to people friendship and learning.
We are pleased to be a part
of facilitating locally this long-standing tradition between our two
peoples.
About Mr. Soberon
Mr. Soberon is speaking in Hamilton on behalf of the
democratically elected government of Cuba. He first came to Canada in
December 2008, when he assumed the position of the Consul General of
Cuba in Toronto. Before coming to Toronto, he was the Deputy Director
of
the North America Department (U.S. and Canada) at MINREX, the Cuban
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was previously posted at the Cuban
Interests Section in Washington, D.C. Mr. Soberon has a Master's Degree
from the Higher Institute for International Relations (ISRI) of Cuba
and a Law degree from the
University of Havana.
Evening Lecture with Mr. Soberon
Again, we welcome everyone to attend the public evening
event with Mr. Soberon at McMaster University titled "Against All Odds
-- Cuba's Environmental & Social Advances." In this lecture,
sponsored by McMaster OLAS, Mr. Soberon will discuss how, in
the face of a punitive and illegal 50-year embargo, the Cuban people
are forging ahead with their environmental and social goals without
bowing to any and all forms of U.S.-led aggression. From urban and
organic farming to the creation of alternatives to fossil fuels, Cuba
sets a global example for sustainable development.
From universal education and health care to genuine internationalism,
Cuba is also developing its social capacity. In this context,
Mr.Soberon will also discuss how, while governments around the world
cut social spending in the name of managing recessions and economic
crises, Cuba has sustained and developed
its high level of social services. This unique Cuban example is
certainly of interest to all those considering creative and
human-centered alternatives to the social problems that face us. At
this event, members of the HFAC youth delegation to the May 2009
conference on the Cuban Five in Havana, Cuba will also
present a report-back to the community on their work. Again, the HFAC
thanks the many individuals whose kind financial support made this
delegation's work possible.
Mr. Soberon Discusses with Youth & Workers
Aside from the evening lecture, Mr.Soberon is scheduled
to present and discuss with students at Sir Allan MacNab High School in
the morning. Over 80 students will assemble to hear Mr. Soberon,
including history, environmental management and
travel/tourism classes. In the early afternoon, he will address two
grade eight french immersion classes at St.Joseph's School.
Mid-afternoon, the Consul will be welcomed by workers at United
Steelworkers Local 1005 during their weekly Thursday meeting.
Join Us!
We call on everyone to join in making this broad
exchange a success. We welcome your participation, comments and
suggestions. All assistance, big and small, is greatly appreciated.
Toronto and Montreal Venezuela Solidarity Rallies
Venezuelan Democracy vs.
Harper Conservative Hypocrisy
Toronto
Thursday,
February 25th -- 5:00 pm
365 Bloor St. East (at Sherbourne) in front of Venezuelan Consulate
For
information: Latin American Solidarity Network (LASN),
cca_toronto@hotmail.com; Barrio Nuevo, barrionuevo.canada@gmail.com
Montreal
Thursday,
February 25th -- 5:00 pm
Complexe Guy-Favreau, 200, boul. René-Lévesque Ouest
Organized by:
Société bolivarienne du Québec/Hands Off Venezuela
For
information: www.sbqc.org / info@sbqc.org
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Conservative Minister for the Americas Peter Kent has
publicly criticized Venezuela as 'undemocratic' for applying its laws
to TV and radio broadcasters. Kent and his fellow Harper Conservatives
shouldn't speak about democracy at the same time as closing our
Parliament for months to avoid being investigated
for complicity in handing over detainees to torture in Afghanistan.
People in Toronto, Montreal and Caracas, Venezuela will
be demonstrating in support of the democratic people's movement in
Venezuela and exposing the hypocrisy of the Harper Conservatives who
are waging war in Afghanistan while avoiding public accountability at
home.
Read The Marxist-Leninist
Daily
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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