Civil Society, Development & Aid, Headlines, Latin America & the Caribbean

SOUTH AMERICA: Mercosur Counter-Summit Urges Socially-Conscious Integration

Marcela Valente

CÓRDOBA, Argentina, Jul 21 2006 (IPS) - Social activists took to the streets in this north-central Argentine city and presented the leaders of South America’s Mercosur trade bloc with several proposals for building an alternative model for integration.

Representatives of labour, student, environmental, campesino, women’s and human rights groups marched alongside demonstrators from leftwing parties Thursday as the heads of state arrived for Friday’s Southern Common Market (Mercosur) summit.

Activists especially heralded the participation of presidents Evo Morales of Bolivia, Fidel Castro of Cuba and Hugo Chávez of Venezuela. “The Cuban revolution, Venezuela and Bolivia are showing the way for the people of the Americas,” read one sign (in Spanish).

The demonstration marked the close of three days of discussions held in the framework of the Peoples’ Summit for Sovereignty and Integration, which ran parallel to the Mercosur meeting. The agenda addressed a diverse set of topics, ranging from anti-poverty measures, indigenous people’s demands, the protection of natural resources and investment in education to trade liberalisation and women’s issues.

In the final document, participating organisations emphasised that “South America is entering a new era” and, therefore, they intend to complement their wholesale rejection of free trade agreements with assistance in creating alternative blueprints for integration

“No to free trade agreements and yes to peoples’ integration. No to foreign debt and to meddling by the international financial institutions. Yes to economic independence. No to militarisation, yes to self-determination. No to hunger and poverty, yes to better distribution of wealth,” reads the declaration.

Participants came out against a U.S. Senate initiative that would create a counter-terrorism organisation in the tri-border area, where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet; demanded the withdrawal of Latin American peacekeeping troops from Haiti; and protested the U.S. war on Iraq and the Israeli offensive on Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.

As if a long-sealed Pandora’s Box had suddenly burst open, demands and complaints ran the gamut of regional, national and even municipal demands.

Members of Argentina’s Shiite community marched with signs written in Arabic, protesting the Israeli attacks on Beirut in recent days, accompanied by members of the ultra-leftwing Quebracho group who wore face masks and were armed with sticks.

The organisers of the protest were unable to dissuade the Quebracho activists from taking part in the march, and finally allowed them to join in, behind the other demonstrators.

The gathering of social organisations was the first held parallel to a summit of leaders of Mercosur (made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, with Venezuela in the process of becoming the fifth full member).

The Argentine Foreign Ministry also convened, for the first time, a meeting of civil society groups as part of the summit events.

Thus, two large gatherings of social organisations from the bloc’s member countries were held this week, and some groups took part in both, even though the venues were separated by a distance of over 10 kilometres.

In the meeting with non-governmental organisations, the president of the Commission of Permanent Representatives of Mercosur, Carlos Álvarez, called for the regional bloc “to contribute to improving the distribution of income.”

He said Mercosur should take advantage of the fact that several of its members play a strong leadership role in the region and that the left-leaning governments in power in the bloc see eye to eye on many issues, in order to work towards the redistribution of income.

Addressing activists from cooperatives and women’s, rural, environmental and business groups, Álvarez advocated the need to come together to reach “a strong critical mass” that would “furnish each progressive government with more instruments for moving ahead on the social front.”

Friday’s summit brought together presidents Néstor Kirchner of Argentina, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Nicanor Duarte of Paraguay, Tabaré Vázquez of Uruguay, and Chávez of Venezuela.

Also present were leaders of Mercosur associate members, like Bolivia’s Morales and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.

At the last minute, they were joined by Castro, who will sign an economic agreement with Mercosur that will help Cuba offset the impact of the U.S. embargo it has faced for over four decades.

The participants in the Peoples’ Summit planned on welcoming Chávez, Morales and Castro Friday, after the summit ended.

“Mercosur is entering a new stage,” Chávez predicted upon arrival at Córdoba.

In the opinion of the charismatic and controversial Venezuelan leader, the bloc should take a stronger focus on social issues – a viewpoint that was encouraging to the social organisations that poured into Córdoba this week.

Meanwhile, the governments of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay have all stated their determination to move in that direction.