THE second hemispheric meeting of struggle against the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) opened today Monday, November 25 at Havana’s International Conference Center, in the midst of a growing movement against U.S. plans to annex Latin America and the Caribbean.
More than 900 delegates from 34 countries involved in negotiations for a free trade agreement that gives the United States all the advantages had arrived in the capital by last night.
The opening ceremony began at 10:00 am, and was followed by three panels discussing current negotiations; the relation between the FTAA and the North American Free Trade Treaty (NAFTA); and the events that have taken place against that U.S. brainchild.
One of the important master lectures takes place today: Evo Morales, leader of the Bolivian native peoples’ and former presidential candidate, will speak on the FTAA and indigenous peoples’ struggles.
Lectures by Ricardo Alarcón, president of the National Assembly of People’s Power; Argentina’s Atilio Borón from the Latin American Social Science Council; and Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Pérez Esquivel are also scheduled.
The four-day anti-FTAA event comprises workshops on various sectors: campesinos, women and native peoples, plus ones on specific themes covering points of vital interest to Latin America and the Caribbean.
Approval of the conference’s action plan and the event’s closing ceremony take place on Thursday night.
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