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José Reinaldo Carvalho*
The 11th Meeting of the São Paulo Forum will take place in Antigua,
Guatemala, from December 2 to 4 this year. For the first time this country of
Central America, one of the cradles of the Maya civilization, will host a
meeting of the São Paulo Forum. In 12 years of existence, the São Paulo Forum
promoted meetings in São Paulo (1990), Mexico City (1991 and 1998), Managua
(1999 and 2000), Havana (1993 and 2001), Montevideo (1995), El Salvador (1996)
and Porto Alegre (1997).
The São Paulo Forum reaches its 11th meeting "entrusted with being one
of the convergence spots of the most relevant advanced and progressive forces of
the world", according to evaluation made in the core document designed by
the Workgroup (coordination) in the last preparatory meeting of the event that
will take place in Guatemala.
Created in 1990 due to the initiative of Latin American left-wing parties in
order to debate the debacle of socialism and its consequences to the region, the
São Paulo Forum, without intending to turn into an "International",
has become the organization for discussion, exchange, presentation of
experiences and elaboration of non-imposing agendas among different trends of
the Latin American left. Meeting after meeting, the São Paulo Forum has become
a sort of Front regarding Latin America and the Caribbean in the search for a
popular and democratic alternative to neoliberalism, which, when the Forum was
created, was being widely implemented all over the world.
The first meeting of the São Paulo Forum took place in July 1990 in the
Brazilian metropolis, under the name of "Meeting of Left-wing Parties and
Organizations of Latin America and the Caribbean", called by the Brazilian
Labor Party. Since then, PCdoB takes part of the São Paulo Forum as a founding
member. 48 parties and organizations took part of the first Forum, representing
diverse political experiences and trends of all the Latin-American continent.
Today, the Forum involves the participation of about 80 parties from Latin
America and the Caribbean and has attracted the attention of progressive parties
and organizations of all parts of the world, either exerting or not political
power. Invariably, dozens of parties of that sort from all continents take part
of the Meetings.
The name "São Paulo Forum" was chosen during the second meeting in
Mexico and is due to the fact that the first meeting took place in the city of
São Paulo. The idea of promoting a wider continental integration by means of
the exchange of experiences, of the discussion of differences and the search for
a political consensus for the region came out during this meeting.
In its document, the Workgroup considers the Forum to be settled as a
political convergence point and today, stimulated by the recent evolution of the
Latin-American political juncture, "it may aspire to embody new forces in
the struggle for an independent and sovereign destiny for the countries of our
common Latin-American and Caribbean native land, strengthening the brotherly
friendship, solidarity and discussion bonds with the advanced forces of other
continents, particularly Europe and Africa".
The meeting at Antigua will take place under the impact of the victory of
Lula's candidacy in Brazil. On this matter, the document declares that
"Brazil and the left taking power - In the elections that took place in
October in Brazil, the left, represented by Lula's candidacy, has reached power
with a broad system of alliances. During the first round of the elections, the
Lula for President alliance counted with the participation of PCdoB and PCB
(Brazilian Communist Party), parties that are members of the São Paulo Forum,
along with PL (Liberal Party) and PMN (National Mobilization Party). During the
runoff, the victorious alliance was broadened by the support of PSB (Brazilian
Socialist Party), PPS (People's Socialist Party) and PDT (Democratic Labor
Party), parties that also take part of the São Paulo Forum. The achievement of
a left-wing administration in the largest country in the continent is
exceptionally important. It changes the correlation of forces in the hemisphere
and offers hope to all struggles for democracy, social progress and the well
being of our peoples. It was also an intellectual and moral triumph against
neoliberal conceptions, its single-sided thinking and the theory that states 'it
is not possible', a proof of the fecundity of a policy characterized by
broadness and alliances, a convergence point for politics and ethics, a feeling
that reached all parts of a huge country and irradiates to our Latin America and
the Caribbean."
According to the guidelines provided by the Workgroup, the 11th Meeting of
the São Paulo Forum will have the opportunity to update the debate on the
international order, which is each day more "unfair" and
"unviable", an order that "necessarily must change". In this
summit in Antigua, the Latin-American left-wing forces, with the help of their
guest from other continents, will also debate deeply the one-sided and hegemonic
policy of the US imperialism that "places the world on the verge of
war", a situation that presents to the progressive forces the challenge of
"prioritizing the struggle for peace".
The São Paulo Forum reaches its 11th Meeting with "broad perspectives
open to progressive forces", as popular forces of the region, condemning
the annexation project of the FTAA, go through a historical moment that may
allow the integration of nations and peoples towards "an alternative
model". In this context, the 11th Meeting will be a moment propitious to
the reaffirmation of the strategic commitments of the Latin American left to the
struggle for democracy, national independence and people's unity.
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* Journalist, Vice-president of PCdoB, responsible by international relations
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