ALBA Changes Its Name to Alliance

[magbana]

acnnews 11

ALBA Changes Its Name to Alliance

HAVANA, Cuba , Jun 25 (acn) The Bolivarian Alternative for Our Americas
(ALBA) was renamed Alliance during its 6th Extraordinary Summit held in
the Venezuelan City of Maracay on Wednesday.

The cooperation mechanism, now with nine members, created its
Political, Economic and Social Councils and worked on preparations to
establish a permanent secretariat during the recently concluded meeting,
reported Prensa Latina news agency.

In relation to the change in the name, Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez explained that it is not only a semantic modification, but a
change in codes, sense and content as it is not longer a theoretical
proposal but a regional and geographic political platform of power.

The declaration of the meeting expresses the consolidation of the
group as a political, economic and social alliance in defense of
independence, sovereignty, self-determination, identity and the
interests of member nations against all forms of attempts of domination.

During the recently concluded Summit, ALBA received Ecuador, Saint
Vicent and the Grenadines and Antigua and Barbuda as new members,
joining Bolivia, Cuba , Dominica , Honduras , Nicaragua and Venezuela .

The Summit decided to change the bloc’s name to the Bolivarian
Alliance for the Peoples of Our America- Trade Treaty of the Peoples
(ALBA-TCP) as a reflection of the strengthening of the organization.

In addition to creating a Ministerial Council for Social Programs,
ALBA members agreed to keep on working to consolidate a Zone of Economic
Complementation for which a Ministerial Council of Economic
Complementation will be set up.

Likewise, they decided to strengthen grand-national food production
projects and the creation of ALBA’s University for the Peoples for the
training of technicians and specialists needed to carry out ALBA
projects and enterprises.

A working group on International Law, self-determination, respect
for sovereignty and human rights coordinated by Bolivia was requested to
be assembled in 60 days, as well as a Ministerial Council of Women.

ALBA projects cover the fields of telemedicine, tele-education,
rural telephone services, regional integration in the energy sector and
the creation of a working group to review the Industrial Property
doctrine, among other agreements.

In a final evaluation of the meeting, President Chavez said ALBA’s
advances were a sign that the multi-polar world is becoming a reality.


Worldnews/ycr/ef/aga



El ALBA cambia nombre e inicia una nueva etapa



Cuban News Agency
www.cubanews.ain.cu
[e-mail]

[Judi Lynn]

1. Good choice. More focused. n/t.