Countries Battling Transnationals to Meet in Quito

HAVANA TIMES — Foreign ministers of South American countries affected by conflicts with transnational corporations will meet in Quito in late April, said Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño.

The meeting will be a “starting point” for bringing together countries affected by legal actions of tremendously powerful transnational companies, said Patiño.

The Quito meeting will be attended by the foreign ministers of Venezuela, Bolivia, Argentina and Ecuador, accompanied by ministers of oil and natural resources, who could be joined by representatives from other nations in the region.

The meeting is the result of one of the resolutions adopted in February by the Political Council of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) which had asked for “mechanisms” for fending off attacks by transnational corporations.

Within ALBA, Ecuador criticized the maneuvers made by the Chevron oil company to damage its international image. Its protest was supported by the regional body.