LATAM-EU: Complicated Agenda Awaits Trans-Atlantic Summit

By Tito Drago Reprint | | Print |

Tito Drago

MADRID, May 16 2002 (IPS) - Terrorism, Argentina’s crisis and the liberalisation of global trade will be the centre of attention for the heads of state and government gathered in the Spanish capital for the second European Union, Latin American and Caribbean Summit, to take place Friday and Saturday.

The government leaders and representatives from 48 countries participated in cultural events, bilateral meetings and working groups prior to the summit, and they tend to agree that the main objective is to consolidate a strategic alliance between the two regions.

The European Union (EU) Trade Commissioner, Pascal Lamy, said as much: “Together, Europe and Latin America can and should play a leading role in designing the world of the future, in which are shared values of democracy, justice and solidarity are reflected and projected at the global level.”

Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar, who currently holds the rotating six-month presidency of the EU, underscored Thursday the need to reach an agreement for cooperative efforts in fighting terrorism.

Aznar said he is in favour of adding – as soon as possible – the insurgent Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to the EU’s list of international terrorist groups, a request made repeatedly by Colombia’s President Andrés Pastrana prior to his arrival in Madrid.

The Spanish leader said that the inclusion of the FARC on the list would not close the door to negotiations between the guerrilla group and the Colombian government, but would strengthen the authorities’ ability to achieve peace.

On the domestic front, the Spanish police reported Thursday that two members of the illegal Basque organisation ETA who were arrested Tuesday had a list of 1,000 people – military officials, police, business executives and journalists – believed to be potential targets of attacks by the separatist group, which is already on the EU list of terrorist organisations.

As for the crisis in Argentina, the EU presidents have emphasised that the Latin American country should comply with the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

But Argentina’s President Eduardo Duhalde stated upon his arrival in Madrid that he would be seeking help from his European counterparts to convince the IMF to loosen its strict requirements.

“We all know what must be done to escape the crisis,” but these measures have “very serious social and political costs,” said Spain’s Foreign Minister, Josep Piqué, current chairman of the EU Council of Ministers. Argentina “will receive solidarity and explicit support” at the summit, he said in a Televisión Española interview.

Mexican President Vicente Fox stated that the summit must “express this support with clarity (in order to) continue binding together our interests and further integrating this association of Latin America with Europe, and with Spain in particular.”

Duhalde was slated to eat dinner Thursday with the president of Mercosur (Southern Common Market), a trade bloc that includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, and to dine with Aznar Saturday. The Argentine leader is also scheduled to hold a private meeting with Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The leaders from the Latin American and Caribbean countries consider the trade question a summit priority. The likely signing of a free trade agreement during the event between the EU and Chile, in addition to the one the European bloc and Mexico signed two years ago, is seen as an important achievement.

However, the delay in the negotiations for setting up an Inter- Atlantic Free Trade Zone between the EU and Mercosur has cast a shadow over further prospects.

Spanish government officials expressed regret for having failed to finalise the negotiations with Mercosur prior to the summit, feeding hopes that the summit will create new momentum for a trade accord.

Aznar urged Mercosur on Wednesday to complete its integration process, going beyond trade towards a commitment for shared sovereignty, a process similar to that of the EU countries.

This would not only produce a “stronger and more cohesive Mercosur, but its member countries will be stronger, more open and more prosperous,” said the Spanish premier.

The scope of the summit’s agenda is reflected in the thematic introductions that Aznar entrusted to his counterparts.

Berlusconi will present the debate on cultural diversity, according to the agenda set by Aznar. For his part, Portugal’s Prime Minister Manuel Durao Barroso, will inaugurate deliberations on the technology gap separating the wealthy European countries from the developing countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Duhalde will open talks on education, Pastrana the discussion on social equality and cohesion, and Costa Rica’s new president, Abel Pacheco, the debate on environment and sustainable development.

Political issues are to be introduced by prime ministers Anders Fogh Rasmussen, of Denmark, and Tony Blair, of Britain.

El Salvador’s president, Francisco Flores, is slated to present the agenda point on promoting democracy and human rights, Peru’s Alejandro Toledo cooperation in the anti-drugs battle, and Chile’s Ricardo Lagos multilateralism in international relations.

Presidents Jacques Chirac, of France, Enrique Bolaños, of Nicaragua, and Jorge Quiroga, of Bolivia, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Percival Patterson and German Chancellor Gerhardt Schroeder will lead the talks on international finance, cooperation and trade.

Spain’s King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía, alongside Guatemala’s President Alfonso Portillo, inaugurated an exposition “The Quetzal Nation: Mayan and Hispanic Guatemala” this week. The exhibit holds 360 artefacts from the Mayan civilisation and from the Hispanic era of that country, and is presented as an encounter between cultures and worldviews.

Thursday, Aznar inaugurated the Europe-Latin American and Caribbean Cultural Forum, which has drawn representatives from 70 non-governmental foundations and organisations, convened by the Euro-America Foundation and sponsored by major Spanish companies.

While preparations continued for the summit, the Trans-Atlantic Social Forum met at the Complutense University of Madrid, pursuing its own agenda, which is sharply critical of the official event.