Global Policy Forum

By Martha Celia Ruiz

Yesterday the conference of the Continental Encounter and Reflection and Interchange started in Quito. In the full auditorium of Tahuantinsuyo flags were hoisted, and neverending shouts protested against the creation of a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA): "Another America is possible", protestors proclaimed - part of the Rounds of the Continental Resistance against the FTAA. These rounds are held in many of the countries in the region and during the whole of October. They are being carried out parallel to other events relating to the FTAA, such as the encounter of parliamentarians, the enterprise forum and the meeting of commerce ministers.

The Continental Encounter of Reflection -held between the 28th and 30th of October in Ecuador- has within its objective to extend the understanding of the genuine propositions of the FTAA. Experts of seven of the continent's countries will participate at the first conference, approaching the relationships between the FTAA, the external debt and the growing militarization of Latin America and the Caribbean region.

In a previous event organised by Jubileo-Sur Americas last May in Quito, the analysis of the relation between the FTAA, the debt and the militarization was already made. At the time, it was explained that the three themes are "complementary strategic axis of one single project of expansion and consolidation of the North American empire" (Declaration of the Jubileo-Sur Americas). First of all the FTAA tries "to create a regional block dominated by the USA, with the ability to confront the competition of the European Union and the Asiatic block in order to dispute the economic, cultural and geopolitical hegemony of the world". In addition external debt also plays the role of an "appropriator of the surplus of the Latin American countries by the financial routes". And because increasing militarization is also an "armed guarantee of the hemispherical and global hegemony of the USA. Sister Elise Monge of the Ecuadorian Federation of human rights and moderator of the conference, remembered that the US have installed four military bases in the continent, in Manta (Ecuador), Curazao, El two more bases: one in Alcantara, Brazil and one in Tierra de Fuego, Argentina.

The Plan Colombia must also be mentioned, a US-led military initiative, with the objective of fighting against drug trafficking. The Colombian Hector Leon, one of the exhibitors and member of the Institution of Alternative Latin American Legal Services (ILSA), clearly stated that the Plan Colombia (which has since been transformed into a bigger project the "Regional Andean Initiative") is, in reality a "counter insurgent military project", i.e. a project against all who oppose the system and, which are today considered by the US as "terrorists".

In addition to the activities in Colombia, the exhibitioners presented other areas where growing militarization of Latin America is evident. Gilberto Lopez y Rivas of the Red Mexicana de Accion contra el Libre Comercio (RMALC), member of the Comision de Concordia y Pacificasion (COCOPA) - created to search for a solution to the conflict in the Chiapas - explained that at the present time the government of Vicente Fox follows the same strategy that was imposed by the priista regiment against the Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional (EZLN).

This is a "war of attrition" - said Lopez y Rivas-, that is, a succession of small operations against the civilian population and the way of life of the indigenous population. To go about this "war", the Mexican government uses the Guatemalan model, where indigenous paramilitary groups are used ("fight fire with fire"), which take action that the government cannot undertake directly. "The presence of these military groups have been denounced -notes Lopez y Rivas-, but nothing has come of the matter".

In addition, the Mexican expert made it clear that since 1994, when the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into force in Mexico, Canada and the USAMexican soldiers represent the largest group of Latin Americans in the military schools of the US - where they are taught counter insurgent tactics.

Although the scene is shady, the exhibitioners insisted that "without resistance there are no alternatives", and called for bridge building and joint efforts of the different NGOs of the continent against the FTAA and against the militarization of the region. "For how long are they going to make our decisions for us?" Evo Morales, a leading farmer and ex-Bolivian presidential candidate asks, suggesting to create joint alternatives - as some indigenous populations have done within some countries of the region in order to recuperate political power and to govern autonomously.

"The debt is not to be paid, the debt has been paid already"

Adolfo Perez Esquivel (Argentina), Nobel Peace prize; Alberto Acosta, Ecuadorian economist; Marcos Arruda, from Politicas Alternativas para el Cono Sur (PACS), from Brazil, and Beverly Keene, from Dialogo 2000, Argentina, were some of the exhibitioners that tried to explain the relation between the FTAA, the external debt, and the militarization process of the continent.

Between 1997 and 2000, Latin American and the Caribbean region transferred by services to the payment of the external debt a total of 583,000 million dollars, in addition of 192,000 million of dollars in interests. Nevertheless, Marcos Arruda explained that the debt is still growing, that it is paid with our international reserves and this means less money for social investments in each of the Latin American countries.

On the other hand, Alberto Acosta signalled that the debt is an instrument of domination and implies the possibility to introduce policies of structural adjustments in Latin American and the Caribbean region. "We do not owe anything, the debt is paid, and this can be proven mathematically and financially", Acosta insisted, signalling that this proposal of not paying or the cancellation of the external debt should take form in joint concrete actions by the countries of the region.

Acosta also explained that several organisations of the continent, joint in Jubileo Sur-Americas, decided in a meeting a few months ago, to find a legal structure to strengthen the proposal of not paying the external debt. Thus, the goal is to form an International Tribunal that will introduce this type of rights and law. Today, debtors are treated like the accused and the credit givers act as judges and litigants. Another proposal is to promote as soon as possible a process of audits of the existing debts.

"Any debtor has the right to not to hold his/her end of the deal if its demands and conditions of payment leads the person in question to an inhumane situation", the Ecuadorian economist explained, adding that the debt must not continue to be an obstacle to the human development of the region. The alternative is to introduce this state of rights, to confront the theme of the debt in the political area, with clear parameters and clauses so that if anything is still to be paid, these payment must not endanger the social projects.

The challenge for the exhibitors from the Latin American and Caribbean regions is to unite their efforts and form a development project of their own, a project that promotes more equal and soldiery societies. Otherwise, the chance that the FTAA may become an inofficial reality, through the pressure of the external debt and the US-led military interventions in the region. Adolfo Perez Esquivel remarks that it is necessary to defeat the division and lack of unity which exist today in Latin America and establish joint alternatives, "because we refuse to be slaves".

Translated by Luke Haywood

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