Statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, H.E Mr. Felipe Pérez Roque, at the Second Ministerial Meeting of the Forum for East Asia- Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC). Manila, 30 January 2004.

Esteemed Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines,
Esteemed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia,
Distinguished colleagues:

Cuba believes that the Forum for East Asia- Latin America Cooperation, more than a geographic concept, since we are not two close regions could not all of us have coasts on the Pacific, is an organization whose members find a reason to come together and cooperate among themselves. We face common problems, risk and challenges.

We live in a profoundly, unjust and unequal world, in which 20 % of the population living in developed countries consumes 86 % of everything that is produced , while the remaining 80 % faces increasing poverty and fewer opportunities.

In Latin America, for example, 225 million people –almost half of the population- live in poverty.

In Latin America, far from diminishing, poverty is on the rise.

And these figures lead us to ask ourselves a question: can our countries be blamed for their poverty or should we recognize that the economic system put in place in the world only benefits a minority and curtails the development and well-being of most peoples on the planet?

It seems to me that this is am issue of the utmost importance to be discussed in our Forum – because of we do not stand together and fight for a profound transformation of the economic and political order imposed on the world, it will be impossible, despite our national efforts, to attain develop and have better living standards for our fellow citizens.

In Cuba opinion, there are various decisive issues:

­ The access of our products to the markets. We need an international trading system with clear rules, that is fair and equitable. The prevalence today if of protectionist practices, a lot of selfishness, tariff and no-tariff measures, subsidies implemented by a group of developed countries to protect their markets. We need the WTO to be at the services of all and not as a hostage to the interests of the most powerful.

­ The access of our countries to the new technologies. Today, more than 90 % of the new patents are owned by the transnational companies of the First World. How can the small and medium-sized companies of our countries compete if they have no access to the new technologies that improved quality, reduce costs and enable an increase in competitiveness?. We must oppose the increasingly private process of concentration os knowledge and intellectual property.

­ The foreign debt. It is an obstacle that makes development impossible. Half of the national budgets of most countries around this table is devoted to paying off the debt service, while the debt doesn’t stop growing. Where should money come from then to use it on education, health and other social programs?. In Latin America, back in 1985, the foreign debt amounted to US $ 300 billion. Nearly US $ 800 billion has been paid in these years- and now the foreign debts amounts to US $ 730 billion. Can a system be sustainable if in it a country pays twice that it owes and after a while it owes twice as much as in the beginning?. If we do nor demand a just, lasting solution to this problem, it will be impossible to attain development.

­ The brain drain. How will we be able to develop and compete if the most skilled technicians, the doctors, the teachers and even the nurses leave our countries to go and work for better salaries in the rich and developed countries?. What is left for us of all the efforts put into education and training?.

­ An international financial system that enables theft and speculation. The underdeveloped countries were forced to open up their financial systems. Now they cannot fight the speculations and the capital outflow during the moments of crisis. Brazil, for example, saw how its reserves dropped from US $ 70 to US $ 40 billion in a matter of weeks. Other Asian countries present here underwent the terrible 1997 crisis. We must work for a profound reform of the international financial system so that and end be put to financial speculation and privileges be granted to production and trade.

­ The preservation of the environment. The current consumer patterns, as well as squandering, make development unsustainable. The environmental deterioration and the depletion of the natural resources poses a risk to everyone al present. The seas are poisoned, the soils undergo degradation, and the air is polluted. There are countries around this table for which an increase in sea level, on account of global warming, will mean that they can be buried under the waters. It is a key issue.

­ The growth of the population. We are already 6.5 billion people, with 1.3 billion in China – a country that has reached the feat of feeding and clothing them. Every year, we grow by 80 new million, almost all in poor countries. The only want to face this risk in by fighting poverty and illiteracy, improving the levels of education of our peoples. How can we do so without financial resources, both fresh and additional?

There are issues of vital interest and FEALAC must allow us to have a space of collective thinking to decide upon common strategies and exchange experiences.

We join those who have defended here the preservation of multilateralism and the strengthening of the U.N. We oppose unilateral action and forceful impositions. We defend the democratization of international relations and the UN reforms, but by preserving its role and authority.

For Cuba, that has had to suffer from the undertake a battle against the blockade and coercive, unilateral measures imposed by another country, this is an issue of the utmost importance.

Thank you.