Cuba Hosts Hemispheric Meeting to Fight the FTAA
From November 13th - 16th, Havana's International Convention Centre will be the site for an important hemispheric meeting to oppose the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). A call was given on September 1st for Cubans from all walks of life to participate in this historic and important gathering which will organize against the threats to Latin American and Caribbean sovereignty represented by the FTAA. The FTAA is also a blueprint for annexation, social injustice and poverty, the organizers pointed out in their call.
Organizations and individuals from many countries will be attending the conference. In particular, representatives of labour organizations from Canada, the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as several European countries will be there.
The FTAA is far more than an apparent proposal for trade liberalization. It is a strategy for hemispheric domination by the Americans, an attempt by the U.S. to extend its economic frontiers in order to secure a giant market and wipe out competition from the European Union and Asia.
Conference organizers have announced that topics will include the FTAA's threat to cultural identity and proposals to hold national plebiscites to decide whether or not to join the trade agreement.