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Poverty, Economic Crisis and Terrorism Main Topics at XI Ibero-American Summit Alejandro Toledo, Peru's president and the host of the event, defended the summits, which he credited with consolidating the Ibero-American community. He argued that the peoples of the Americas view the event "as not just a series of protocols, declarations and receptions, but as a forum for speaking frankly about accords that benefit the region's citizens." In the same spirit, the news magazine Caretas quoted Peruvian Foreign Relations Minister Diego García Sayán as saying that "a summit is not the place to agree on international loans or take specific decisions about trade or economic policy. Above all, it is a mechanism for political coordination and cooperation, and this yields results that are not always immediate. But an issue like cooperation is something that directly affects ordinary citizens." This year's summit, which was attended by the leaders of 21 countries (19 from Latin America plus Spain and Portugal), addressed such topics of mutual concern as poverty, economic crisis and terrorism. It ended with the participants signing three declarations: the so-called Lima Declaration, a condemnation of terrorism and a statement on the global economic situation. In the Lima Declaration, entitled "United for Tomorrow," the summit leaders reiterated their commitment to the rule of law. The declaration states that " the stability and transparency of democracy, in its constitutive aspects as well as its functioning, are imperative," and renews the participants' commitment to consultative mechanisms for concrete action in cases identified as requiring urgent attention. The Lima Declaration further states that "political cooperation implies a commitment among nations based on respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, self-determination and the independence of each country. In this context, we reject any form or intent to alter or interrupt the democratic institutional order chosen by each of the Ibero-American countries." It reaffirms "the need to adopt individual and joint measures to prevent, detect and sanction corruption, which undermines democracy and the public morale and represents an attack on the economic and social rights of citizens." The document also touches on other topics, among them standardizing and reducing defense spending. This is a favorite topic of President Toledo, who advocates the reduction of military spending to channel more resources to combat poverty. "Investing more and more effectively in nutrition, health and education-that's the best investment we can make," he added. As part of their final declaration, the leaders also hailed the elections held recently in Peru and Nicaragua. They called on the international community "to continue contributing its efforts to consolidate the economic development of those countries in support of democracy." In his opening remarks, Toledo himself expressed his gratitude for "the solidarity of the Ibero-American peoples and governments" and " their commitment and support in the struggle for democracy." The presidents of Costa Rica and El Salvador also called for dialogue and new measures to improve citizens' understanding of democracy, including the creation of joint commissions and strengthening existing institutions. The declaration against terrorism expressed the leaders' commitment to "combating terrorism in all of its forms and manifestations, wherever it is produced and against whom it is committed." Included in this resolve was a condemnation of those who give aid or refuge to the intellectual authors, promoters or perpetrators of terrorist acts. The summit's economic declaration focused on the recession now under way in the United States. According to Caretas, the participants "expressed concern that the United States is the region's main trade partner and conservative estimates indicate that its economy will not show new growth until the last third of 2002." The Spanish president, José María Aznar, discussed Latin America's role in Europe, arguing that under Spain's future presidency of the European Union, "the development of our relationship with Ibero-America will be a strategic component." The Colombian newspaper El Tiempo argues that Europe's interest in increasing its trade with Latin America and forging a common front with the region is a function of its opposition to the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Last July, EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy was quoted as saying that Europe is concerned about "the costs and benefits of North-South integration of this type." Observers of the summit gave credit to Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso for getting his Latin American counterparts to agree to push for greater market opening on the part of developed countries and the reduction of export subsidies. The summit also laid the groundwork for a more unified front at the upcoming Monterrey Financial Conference in Mexico and the EU-Latin American and Caribbean summit. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez described the Monterrey conference as a time to "put words into action" on a topic that is a greater challenge every day for the region's governments. The leaders also stated their "concern over the persistence of protectionist policies and practices," declaring themselves in favor of "a more fair and just" international economic and financial system that "guarantees the liquidity of small economies during international financial crises." In addition, they stated their "vehement rejection of any state's unilateral or extraterritorial application of national laws or measures." This statement was a reference to the United States' application of the Helms-Burton Act, which punishes foreign companies with offices in the US that do business with Cuba. Fidel Castro himself did not attend the summit, citing his need to stay home to deal with the damage caused by Hurricane Michelle. His absence raised a great deal of speculation. Critics of his regime, including David Rodríguez Díaz, a representative of the Union of Exiled Cubans in Peru and an anti-Castro spokesman, argued that this was only an excuse. "The truth is that our mobilizations in Lima over the last few days must have made him nervous and he opted not to come," he insisted. For its part, the Peruvian media explained Castro's absence as a response to the summit's awards ceremony to honor Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa, an long-time critic of the Cuban leader. They also pointed to the presence in Lima of exiled Cuban writer Carlos Alberto Montaner, who openly told the newspaper Expreso that he was there to denounce Castro's "dictatorship" and to try to "influence some friendly presidents to put pressure on the Cuban government." Some hailed the summit as a success. The Organization for Ibero-American Cooperation, for one, argued that in the decade since they've been held the meetings have consolidated a space for dialogue and political negotiation at both the executive and ministerial levels. But skeptics saw the most recent summit as producing just one more in a series of political declarations. As an editorial in El Tiempo noted, "spurring economic growth and targeting social spending are macroeconomic goals that the 21 nations represented at the summit must address without further delay. But it's much easier to talk than to do anything." The paper added, "although the Ibero-American summit declarations are rhetorical and inspire little confidence, the nations of Latin America must understand that economic stability and improved social indicators depend as much on government policies as on the institutional soundness necessary to produce growth and eradicate poverty."
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