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SELA opens XXVII Regular
Meeting of the Latin American Council In a speech delivered at the opening session of the preparatory stage of the XXVII Latin American Council, Boye said that the launching of military strikes against Afghanistan "marks the beginning of a new chapter which, I feel sure, we all hope will be brief and lead to lasting peace among the nations of the Earth, a peace based on tolerance, permanent dialogue among different cultures and equality for all of us." Boye reiterated that SELA condemned the September 11 terrorist attacks against civil and military targets in the United States shortly after they occurred, and called them "deeds that have altered world stability and whose repercussions we do not as yet know." However, he said that these new developments must be analyzed in order to "understand what they mean, become aware of their causes and consequences, and ponder what action Latin America and the Caribbean should take in face of a situation that is entirely new." The Chilean-born diplomat stressed that the new international situation is not due only to the terror incidents and the subsequent developments because "before that, an economic imbalance that has affected many of our countries had been incubating." "We could see how meagre the fruits of major efforts and sacrifices made by our region to organize and stabilize our economies had been. Unexpected crises have taken us by surprise, often having their origins in far away places. Remedies that seemed effective only a few years ago turned out to be useless. Bewilderment began to spread,", he said. "Today, the sense of urgency is greater. We wish to find our place in a world that is changing rapidly and whose characteristics have not yet been defined, because the dynamics of the process has prevented us from doing it. We wish to call the attention of the world to our problems, but that attention is focusing on other, more pressing situations. We must cope with economic threats of which we are not yet fully aware. And we aspire to a development that once again is beyond our reach", he warned. "All these challenges - some new, some longstanding - require a clarity of vision and goals. And they force us to act, even if we are not completely prepared to do so. They also call for consultation and joint action, in a world that has begun to rediscover the worth and usefulness of solidarity," he said. Boye pointed out that, in this connection, the Latin American Economic System - the most important intergovernmental organization in Latin America and the Caribbean - stands ready to serve its 28 Member States. "We realize that the challenges facing the countries of Latin America call for a renewed spirit of resolve and struggle, and it is with this in mind that we will consider our future activities. We feel sure that we will be able to count on the support of all in this task, because present demands require that everyone participate", he said. On its first day, the Latin American Council, highest decision-making body of SELA, appointed the members of the Bureau, which will be in charge of conducting the discussions and includes Peru, represented by former Foreign Affairs Minister and Ambassador Marchand Stens (Chairman); Cuba, represented by Minister for F Foreign Investment Martha Lomas Morales (First Vice Chairman); Panama, represented by Ambassador Nora Castrellón (Second Vice Chairman); and Chile, represented by Marcos Alvarez (Rapporteur). In his speech, Ambassador Marchand condemned the terrorist attacks on the United States and warned that the world is facing very hard times, "times that may be crucial, times in which we may feel that all we are sure of is our uncertainty." Additionally, Marcharnd said in a reflective tone that negotiations for the creation of a Free Trade Area for the Americas (FTAA) requires prior harmonization among Latin American and Caribbean countries. Marchand also stressed that countries should pay attention to changes all over the world as a result of globalization, since this kind of events "could end up changing our way of life as well." He said that if our region does not organize itself in order to better manage its participation in the globalization process, the world will no longer be divided into developed and developing countries, but into globalized countries and countries swallowed up by globalization. The preparatory stage of the Council will be followed by the Ministerial stage, which is scheduled to be opened on Wednesday by acting Venezuelan President, Adina Bastidas. On Tuesday, a special panel with the participation of renowned personalities from Latin America an the Caribbean will be analyzing the relations between the FTAA and regional integration.
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