Panama, Apr 01 (RHC) – Only the Organization of American States (OAS) can decide who will attend the civil society forum prior to the Summit of the Americas, based on unrevealed requisites, said forum´s organizers.
According to PL news agency, Magaly Castillo, from the Alianza Ciudadana Pro-Justicia organization and forum organizer Ruben Castillo said that those interested in attending the civil society event will send their applications and the OAS will then consider if they meet the established requirements, which were not specified.
Castillo said that he had a clear conscience about the decision, since the event must count on the plurality of ideas in all nations of the region, while Castillo noted that Panama is only the host to the meeting and will favor the widest and most democratic debate, since there are contradictions in all countries.
Cuban Official sources confirmed that 68 participants have registered for the forum from social, juvenile, student, artistic, religious, women, farmer organizations, plus independent workers and cooperatives among others.
There have been some denunciations by Panamanian left-wing organizations that were not accepted, said university professor Olmedo Beluche, one of the organizers of the People´s Summit, a continental civil society forum parallel to the one organized by the OAS, which will take on all those who want to participate.
Meanwhile, Puerto Rico´s National Hostosiano Movement issued a protest after it was not accepted to attend the forum organized by the OAS and the Panamanian government and its members sent a letter denouncing the injustice.
“It is surprising the fact that while talking about a balance in terms of geographical position, gender and agenda, they have excluded the representative of the oldest colony in the world with the largest population under colonial rule,” reads the letter and asks Would this exclusion have any relation to the fact that such colonial rule is that of the United States?
The letter, signed by Wilma E. Revereon, says that having received the reply in English, from an organization in which most of its members speak Spanish, mirrors the neocolonial and servile mentality and predicts that the OAS will go down the drain of history.
