Showing posts with label UNASUR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UNASUR. Show all posts

Monday, November 22, 2010

Oliver Stone: "Um momento histórico da América do Sul. Nada parecido desde Bolívar, desde 1820..."

"Hey... Esses caras estão mudando a América do Sul...
Antes, nós expulsávamos os reformadores, um após outro..."

Oliver Stone & Tariq Aziz
"Ao Sul da Fronteira"
no Democracy Now!
PARTE II


Entenda, no trecho de entrevista a seguir, como um cidadão de alto nível, herói de guerra, chega a se indignar com o seu próprio país ao ver de perto tanto mal sendo feito por tanto tempo, em tantos lugares, o tempo todo.

Ao ponto de empregar o melhor de seu reconhecido talento como ferramenta de conscientização para que todos possam abrir os olhos e reagir a tantas injustiças e distorções sendo "exportadas" - ou distorcidas internamente - para prejudicar tantos países irmãos ou, talvez ainda pior, patrícios irmãos.

Países e gentes que podem perfeitamente compartilhar harmônica, próspera, pacífica e democráticamente um vasto continente abundante em recursos, capaz de propiciar um desenvolvimento pujante e, ao mesmo tempo, sustentável, solidário e justo para todos.



Dos recordistas em Oscars de Melhor Diretor, desde o início da premiação em 1928, apenas 01 foi laureado 04 vezes e apenas 02 foram laureados 03 vezes, todos falecidos. Dos laureados com 02 Oscars, apenas 04 continuam vivos, Oliver Stone entre eles, laureado por Platoon, em 1986, e Nascido em 04 de Julho, em 1989.

Muito antes, porém, Oliver Stone já havia recebido seu primeiro Oscar, em 1978, pelo Melhor Roteiro Adaptado para o legendário Expresso da Meia-Noite.

Outro de seus de filmes, Wall Street, deu o Oscar de Melhor Ator para ninguém menos que Michael Douglas.

Entre suas quase duas dezenas de sucessos aclamados por Hollywood, os filmes investigativos sobre a história, a história do presente sobretudo, acabaram virando uma de suas especialidades.

Ele já levou para as telas três presidentes americanos em JFK, Nixon e W.

Já focou na ganância do setor financeiro em Wall Street, "hit" de Hollywood, e na sua seqüência, Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps, lançado no Festival de Cannes em maio.

E abordou os aspectos mais controversos da guerra, em seus clássicos Platoon e Nascido em Quatro de Julho.

O aclamado Platoon é, de certa forma, autobiográfico.

Oliver Stone viveu os horrores da guerra por dentro.

Ele é Veterano da Guerra do Vietnã. E duas vezes condecorado. 

Com a Estrela de Bronze e com o Coração Púrpura.

Foi exatamente depois de voltar daquela guerra sem o mínimo sentido, que Oliver Stone "sentiu-se chocado" ao não ver sentido nenhum na presença de tantos soldados do seu país, como ele o fora um dia, em tantos lugares das Américas Central e do Sul por onde ele passava, viajando, 15 anos depois de voltar do inferno no Vietnã.

Perplexo, começou a se interessar pelo assunto e buscar respostas, ou melhor, como cineasta, tentar documentar respostas em película.

Daí nasceram vários filmes sobre o continente como Salvador, Comandante e Looking for Fidel.

Em seu último filme, South of The Border (Ao Sul da Fronteira), lançado em junho tanto nos Festivais de Veneza e Cannes quanto na América Latina e Estados Unidos, Oliver Stone pega a estrada pela América do Sul e se encontra com 07 Presidentes no continente.

Suas impressões - bem como as do co-roteirista do filme, o comentarista político, historiador, ativista, cineasta, romancista e editor britânico-paquistanês Tariq Ali - não poderiam estar postas com mais clareza quanto nesta entrevista modelar concedida em junho de 2010 a Amy Goodman e Juan Gonzalez do Democracy Now!

Seu testemunho vivo, presencial, seu olhar "estrangeiro", sobre o que se passa em nosso país e em nossa tão próxima e ao mesmo tempo distante vizinhança, bem como a sua convivência permanente com as mensagens e percepções difundidas pelos meios de comunicação desde o Alaska até a Patagônia, nos dão a tão necessária medida, o contraponto equilibrado e a transparência há tanto turvada e omitida, para que possamos - em contrapêso ao côro uníssono das outras muitas fontes que, entrentanto, comungam obviamente de interesses convergentes - para que possamos balancear pesos e contrapesos e chegarmos a nossas próprias independentes e soberanas conclusões.

E que as câmeras de Oliver Stone nos tragam um pouco mais de luz para nossa ação!

Finalmente, cabe aqui repetir a assertiva: nada justifica que um filme dirigido por um dos mais premiados diretores de Hollywood e que é exatamente sobre nós e nossa história do presente, não seja divulgado e promovido exatamente entre nós como qualquer outro filme muito menos qualificado o seria.

Continuarei a legendar a brilhante entrevista de Oliver Stone e Tariq Aziz para o Democracy Now.

Para quem quiser antecipar-se, entretanto, ela pode ser encontrada com transcrição em inglês em:

Democracy Now!

Diante da virulência com que o filme foi recebido, Oliver Stone montou um "site de guerra" extremanete bem lastreado quanto às distorções na Grande Mídia Estadunidense e trazendo documentos que envolvem diretamente a CIA no Golpe-de-Estado contra Chávez em 2002. Vale conferir (em inglês) em:

South of The Border

Esta é uma discussão bastante ampla.

Engrenada à máquina da Grande Mídia estão as máquinas da Distribuição Cinematográfica, da Produção Fonográfica, da Realização de Eventos e muitas outras.

A manipulação da informação dentro de nossas fronteiras não se dissocia da mesma manipulação interna a cada país e da máquina global de propaganda, estejam todas e cada uma coordenadas ou não.

As Grandes Fábricas de Mitos. 
Os Grandes Moinhos de Heróis.


Veja também:

O Grande Lançamento do Ano - Num Cinema Bem LONGE de Você!
A Falsa Democracia (por José Saramago) e a força do Brasil
9/11 (Tue) > ¡Viva Chile! And peace be upon US as so! 


Friday, February 26, 2010

Brazil even more commited with Haiti. President Lula in Port-au-Prince.


"Haiti needs the forgiveness of his debt to rebuild the country"

President Lula called on creditor nations to forgive Haiti debt which reaches US$ 1.3 billion. That would be - according to Lula - a way to allow the Haitian government to take the money that would be to pay off the debt and apply on the reconstruction of the country. Lula defended the measure in a speech made on Thursday (Feb 25) in Port-au-Prince after signing of three acts - the construction of water reservoirs, food production and improvement of public schools network - together with the President of Haiti H.E. René Préval.

Lula recalled that earlier in this week, during the summit meetings held in Cancun, Mexico, he could witness the willingness of the Countries to help the Haitian people. Just before, at the meeting of {UNASUR} the Member Countries discussed the donation of over $ 100 million for the Haitian government. Lula stressed by several times that the aid to Haiti should be done following the needs defined by the local authorities.

Shoe vendor on a street in Port-au-Prince, capital of Haiti. Lula advocates debt relief for Haiti that the country can invest in its rebuilding.
Photo: Roberto Cordeiro / Blog do Planalto

The Brazilian president flew over the capital accompanied by Haitian President Préval. According to Lula, one of the priorities is the removal of rubble in towns and the lifting up of 50 to 60 modern tents per location in order to gather the families. Préval explained about his will on importing tractors and machinery from the Dominican Republic and the United States for the task force. According to the Haitian president, the machinery at the capital should be moved to the countryside.

"If Brazil has already built a very strong policy compromised on Haiti's close future, after seeing with my own eyes what happens to Haiti, we will do very much more. Things are even much more serious than we imagined. In this moment of pain and despair is exactly when we need to raise our heads and believe that Haiti will come out stronger of all this. A people that always have kept the dignity to fight. The first country to build Liberty in this Hemisphere will not bow to this setback. Men and women of Haiti will know with much more strength to build a fairer country for their own people, "he said.

Source: Presidential Palace (Planalto) Blog,

Rains threaten more Haiti misery

Go to Original (Al Jazeera English) >

Friday, February 26, 2010
07:20 Mecca time, 04:20 GMT


The first heavy rains have hit Haiti since last month's devastating earthquake struck, swamping makeshift camps that house hundreds of thousands of homeless and raising fears of landslides and disease.

The rains late on Thursday came as forecasters warned of a large storm heading in Haiti's direction that could strike over the weekend.

More than a million people were made homeless by the deadly January 12 quake, many of them now living in flimsy makeshift shelters that offer little protection from heavy rains.

Relief workers say the approaching wet season and the hurricane season later this year will likely add to misery for quake survivors struggling to rebuild their lives.

Even before the quake Haiti often suffered badly during the rain and hurricane seasons as a result of its poor infrastructure.

In 2008 a series of storms killed more than 800 people.

Now in the capital Port-au-Prince, some 770,000 quake survivors are living in makeshift camps and with the onset of rains, the threat of disease and infection poses another great challenge.

'Huge challenge'

"We have a huge challenge in terms of just providing emergency shelter - something that we feel that if we put all of our weight behind, as we are doing right now, we will be able (to do)," Kristen Knutson, a spokeswoman for the UN office that is coordinating the international relief effort, told Reuters news agency.

Thursday's deluge hit as relief officials changed strategy on dealing with quake
survivors, delaying plans to build big refugee camps outside the capital.

Instead, they want the homeless to pack up their tents and return to destroyed neighbourhoods.

Gerald-Emile Brun, an architect with the Haitian government's reconstruction committee, told Reuters that "everything has to be done before the start of the rainy season, and we will not be able to do it".

Brun also suggested that Haitians may largely be left to fend for themselves.

Haiti meanwhile is continuing to count the economic cost of the quake.

Call to cancel debt

On Thursday the country's president, Rene Preval, said government assessments had indicated that the disaster would cost the already poor country up to 50 per cent of its gross domestic product.

"This earthquake... led to the deaths of 200,000 to 300,000 people and destroyed from 35 to 50 per cent of the GDP," he said.

Preval was speaking reporters after meeting Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, his Brazilian counterpart at a UN-Brazilian military base in Port-au-Prince.



During his brief visit, Lula called on the international community to cancel Haiti's debt, and officials from the two governments signed agreements to aid Haitian farmers and schools, which were hard hit in the quake.

According to the United Nations, 5,000 schools were damaged or destroyed in Haiti, which was already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere before the catastrophe struck.

Lula also referred to a recent South American summit's pledge of $300m in aid for Haiti, including an agreement to create a $100m fund to help the government with immediate needs.
 

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

UNASUR Solidarity with Haiti - Declaration of Quito, February 9, 2010

Press Release No. 50
February 10, 2010

UNASUR Solidarity with Haiti - Declaration of Quito, February 9, 2010


The Heads of State and Government of UNASUR meeting at the Presidential Palace in Quito, on 9 February 2010, in light of the aftermath of the earthquake happened in Haiti on 12 January, by the bonds of solidarity and friendship;

WE EXPRESS our solidarity with the people and Government of Haiti in this time of grief and tragedy, and our deep regret at the death of thousands of Haitian and international officials and countries cooperating with Haiti;

WE REITERATE our commitment in supporting the provision of comprehensive care to the wounded and for the reconstruction of the country, taking into account the needs and priorities expressed by the authorities of Haiti;

WE SUPPORT the efforts of the Government of Haiti so that under his leadership, and coordination with international and regional organizations, it can perform the activities of humanitarian assistance for the Haitian people and promote social, economic and institutional development of Haiti;

WE EXPRESS our gratitude for the work of the Mission of the United Nations Stabilization in Haiti (MINUSTAH).


WE DECIDE:

1. Reiterate our expressions of solidarity with the government of President René Préval and the people of Haiti, as well as condolences for the loss of human lives.

2. To contribute to international cooperation coming to Haiti to respond to the demands, needs and priorities of the country, within the framework of full respect for national sovereignty and the principle of nonintervention in internal affairs. Along the same lines, support the strengthening of state institutions in Haiti, in order to promote effective cooperation, social development and economic growth, greater democracy and maintaining peace and security.

3. Continue with humanitarian aid undertaken by the Member States, in agreement with the Haitian government.

4. Implement a new South-South cooperation, by following the medium and long-term restructuring process, respecting the sovereignty of Haiti, which include the strengthening of state institutions and the development of local capacity.

5. Answer as a priority and immediately to the three axis presented at this meeting by the President of Haiti, René Préval, to the Member States of UNASUR:
  • infrastructure and energy: a) road construction, resources for acquisition of equipment, machinery and allocation of engineering personel to contribute to the infrastructure of Haiti, in particular through the construction of roads which will be determined by the Haitian government, b) energy: to regain the power grid and to study the impact, as alternative energy, of the uses of gas in the situation in Haiti;
  • agriculture: to contribute to the reconstruction of the agriculture sector and food production through the donation of seeds, inputs, fertilizers, and experts allocation. On this theme will be taken into account the so-called models 'Pro-huerta' and the 'Food Security Program'.
  • health: increasing the actions already implemented by the South American Health Council.

6. To promote joint actions in order to channel humanitarian aid, and boost reconstruction efforts through a plan of action coordinated with representatives of the constitutional government of Haiti. This action plan should include, among others, the following action on a voluntary basis and according to the capacities of each Member State:

        - Create a fund of UNASUR, to finance the equipment by industry sector that will boost actions in three axis expressed by President René Préval in item number 5. In principle, the Fund would be on the amount of 100 million U.S. dollars, from contributions of the countries.

        - Request the IDB a credit of up to 200 million U.S. dollars, in long-term, with the lowest interest rate, which will be assumed by the countries of UNASUR.

        - Send immediately tents, appropriate to current needs, and proceed with the construction of hostels, which meet the urgent need for housing in Haiti.

        - Send a delegation to Haiti of planning bodies of UNASUR, to support, in this context, the actions that the Haitian government requires.

        - Encourage the donation to the Haitian government of the machinery required for the physical reconstruction of Haiti, in a planned way.

        - Explore commitments of Member States to contribute in accordance with their capabilities and voluntarily, for the reconstruction of an area in Haiti.

        - To contribute to the reforestation of Haiti by developing a specific program, involving, among others, universities, research centers, civilian population and other social actors.

        - Encourage the diversification of energy sources used in Haiti to reduce the traditional dependence on wood and increase the use of renewable energy and sources of low impact on the local environment.

        - Collaborate in the reconstruction of government headquarters.

        - To urge the Member States that have not yet done so to apply special procedures to regularize migration in favor of Haitian citizens.

        - Supporting the initiatives of Member States to aid in the education sector by, among others, the reconstruction of education systems at all levels, designation entities for cooperation, establishment of camps, schools resistant to earthquakes and grants for Haitian students.

7. To urge the Member States to eliminate temporarily the import tariffs to South American countries for Haitians exportable products and encourage investment from South American companies in sectors with high potential for use of local labor force.

8. To support the call of the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations on External Debt in favor of debt relief for Haiti and welcome the decision of several countries in that line. By the way, we call on all creditors, particularly multilateral organizations, to forgive that debt.

9. To recognize the commitments of the Fourth Special Meeting of South American Ministers of Health, on 27 January 2010. Likewise, note the contents of the resolution on Haiti, adopted by the South American Defense Council, in Manta, on January 28, 2010.

10. To study the establishment of an autonomous office within the South American Defense Council, for risk management to coordinate prevention and mitigation of emergencies caused by disasters.

11. Have a committee of the South American Council of Defense, in coordination with the Council of Delegates, to travel to Haiti to make a study of the conditions, needs and offers of aid, according to the geographical areas of operation, in full agreement with the Haitian authorities to achieve better use of resources contributed by the countries of UNASUR for the tasks assigned.

12. Establish cooperation between the Member States of UNASUR to send by air and sea the contributions made to suit the situation in Haiti as well as taking note of the offer of some member states - Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Venezuela - to establish corridors through both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

13. Recognize the importance of the proposal of the Republic of Paraguay, on the creation of a Brigade of South American Solidarity and Cooperation ", and instruct the Council of Delegates to start its study.


The original of this note is available at (Portuguese, and Spanish):
http://www.mre.gov.br/portugues/imprensa/nota_detalhe3.asp?ID_RELEASE=7833