Caracas, Apr 19 ABN.- With a vigorous call to the “21 Century Ayacucho,” which represents the battle for socialism and fight against capitalism, the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Hugo Chavez brought to a close the 9 Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of our America (ALBA).
The meeting took place in Caracas on April 19th and was attended by the Venezuelan people, in the midst of an event that brought to a close the journey of commemorative acts for the Bicentennial since the emancipatory deed that began in Venezuela on April 19th 1810.
Caracas' Teresa Carreño Theater filled up with members of social movements and communal councils from around the country, who attended the meeting on behalf of the People's Power together with the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the presidents Rafael Correa, from Ecuador; Raul Castro, Cuba; Evo Morales, Bolivia; Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua; and Prime Ministers from Antigua and Brabuda, Winston Baldwin; Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves.
Colombian Senator Piedad Cordoba also attended the meeting.
The accustomed protocol used in presidential meetings was substituted by the joy of those present, who raised the flags of the ALBA member countries and chanted joyfully in favor of integration.
The Presidents tackled with issues such as defense of the land, climate change, the negative impacts of capitalism, the threat imposed by the US empire to the ALBA countries and the need to consolidate the definitive independence of the peoples of the region.
World climate crisis
One of the main topics of the Summit was the climate crisis that lashes against different countries of the world and which, according to the leaders present in the meeting, owes to the capitalist model and its way of operating.
About the matter, Bolivia's President Evo Morales explained that it has arrived “the time to fight the (capitalist) economic system and model that harms so much life and humanity.”
“Copenhagen proved the world capitalist crisis. Papers from our countries were not approved because of the pressure of the US empire,” Morales explained, and he added that “we have a compromise, our responsibility is not only saving Latin America but taking care of humanity in our earth.”
Similarly, he explained that the flag of fight against capitalism and unbounded industrialization “is the defense of our mother earth” because “all of us are children of our mother earth.”
President Morales severely criticized the capitalist model since it is not possible for this system “t take into account the serious damage it does to humanity in its plan to kidnap mother earth to loot natural resources.”
On the other hand, Cuba's President Raul Castro called the attention about the necessity of raising the consciousness of climate change and the importance of reducing the emissions of agents that contaminate our environment.
Castro affirmed that, according to researches carried out Cuban scientists, by 2050 the planet would start to “send the bill” unless we take the necessary steps because of the ecologic damages being caused.
He warned the denominated “world powers” to raise their consciousness about the situation and understand that are every day more close to the “point of no return” to save Earth.
Needed unity
Similarly, Cuba's President Raul Castro expressed that “declaring several of its member states as illiteracy free territory; training human resources in areas such as health and education; and the clinical genetic researches on disable people; are some of the processes outstanding in our alliance.”
According to him, union is necessary to avoid that powers try to halt the progress in that connection and that media campaigns undertaken against Cuba and other ALBA nations are part of strategies devised to end with processes that seek equality and sovereignty.
President Castro reaffirmed the significance of maintaining the union within the alliance and the region, in order to halt any attack that tries to end with progressive governments.
On the other hand, Ecuador President Rafael Correa explained that it is necessary for the Latin American and Caribbean peoples to continue fighting for a definitive independence in political, economic, cultural, scientific and technological matters.
He reaffirmed that though nations from the Bloc have showed significant progresses towards dignified conditions for their inhabitants, definitive objectives have not been reached.
“We have to continue the efforts to reach a great free, sovereign, equitable and fair homeland,” Correa stated.
Besides, he stressed that the great homeland will be achieved only if we are “united, fighting and succeeding.”
Furthermore, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez stood out with examples the union of member countries. “A total 897,883 disabled people have been attended in six of the countries that make up the ALBA.”
Also, he informed that there have been visited 2,052,931 houses in the mids of actions undertaken by groups of experts. These go house by house in order to know and give integral attention to disabled people, as well as studying their environment.
President Chavez mentioned as well that there have been handed in 15,962 technical aid to Ecuador; 3,899 to Bolivia; and 259,813 to Venezuela.
“We are proving all we can do if we unite and break that capitalist model (...) We are united, representing each other, as Cristina said, recognizing ourselves as different but with shared objectives,” he stated.
Moreover, President Chavez expressed that “ALBA has to continue demanding vigorously the end of the blockade against Cuba and the release of the five Cuban heroes kidnapped by the empire” as a proof of support to the Cuban Revolution.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Winston Baldwin explained that all the member countries are creating a shared path so that Latin American and Caribbean nations can work jointly to change their societies and improve the distribution of their resources, so that these can be at the disposal of the poorest.
Prime Minister from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, explained “I confide in that people from my country and the region will understand that ALBA is the root to get out of underdevelopment (...) It is a cause that cannot be achieved with doubtful people.”
Finally, President Chavez stressed “economic union or death,” explaining this way that this is the path needed to walk through the definitive independence of nations.
