When the leaders of the Ibero-American nations meet for thirteenth time between November 29 and December 1, in Portugal, it will be unavoidable that the agenda of this Summit goes beyond the topic of innovation and knowledge, the matter selected for debate.

One thing is projection, and the other is reality. Certainly, the global panorama, and in particular for the nations summoned to the Portuguese resort of Estoril, near to Lisbon, has vital landmarks and enormous risks that cannot be outside of the gathering.

It is a world crisis that is affecting both Portugal and Spain, in the old Europe, and at the same time is creating havoc in the New World, where the wrongs already existing are transforming ever more complicated and more terrible.

The First Ibero-American Summit in Guadalajara, Mexico, in l99l, should not be forgotten. There neoliberalism transcended for many of those gathered there as the paradigm in the economic sphere, perhaps without suspecting its deceit, multiplied exploitation, and the disasters to come.

Now it is evident that that idyllic pattern was an enormous fraud, and sponsored by the monster from the opulent North, they did nothing but create the bases for the massive debacle of today.

But the truth is that in Latin America the interventionist actions of the great northern promoter have not ceased. The Summit of Estoril won't be able to ignore, for ethics and sense of responsibility, episodes as alarming as the Fascist coup in Honduras and its continuation against all international approaches and against the internal popular will.

Nor can they ignore the support of the reactionary sectors of United States to similar violations of the most elementary legal and democratic norms.

The leaders won't be able to be silent, faced with the opening of seven new US military bases in Colombia, the virtual annexation of that country whose oligarchy has assumed the role as the spear tip of Washington against their regional brothers.

The Summit should, also, make reference to the continuation of the American economic blockade against Cuba, a country present at all the Ibero-American meetings from the beginning of that mechanism, and location of one of its meetings some years ago.

So, together with the traditional themes that are agreed previously before each meeting between the nations of the south of this hemisphere and their two fundamental European roots, necessary space should be opened for the analysis of the situations that are being imposed on our peoples.

It must not be ignored that, among other things, the healthy intentions of working in peace and collaborating creatively among all those summoned to the meeting in Portugal are being put at risk, on account of foreign and right-wing aggressiveness.

Taken from the Cuban News Agency