MORALES LASHES OUT AGAINST CAPITALISM AND THE

UNCLAS LA PAZ 001537 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON BL SUBJECT: MORALES LASHES OUT AGAINST CAPITALISM AND THE MEDIA. ¶1. SUMMARY: The Fifth World Encounter of the Network in Defense of Humanity was held May 22-25 in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Bolivian President Evo Morales opened the gathering of leftist intellectuals and artists with a fiery speech that condemned capitalism as the "worst enemy of humanity." His hot-tempered speech set the tone for the rest of the summit. Not surprisingly, the event's most notable participants were from Cuba, Ecuador, and Venezuela, although there were over 100 attendees from 26 countries. END SUMMARY ¶2. The "World Encounter" May 22-25 in Cochabamba focused on the impact of media. Morales, however, used the opportunity to accuse capitalism as the enemy of humankind, saying that "capitalism brings egotism, individualism, and poverty, capitalism brings war, capitalism and imperialism are nourished and fed by war." Culture Ministers Abel Prieto of Cuba, Francisco Sesto of Venezuela, and Antonio Preciado of Ecuador applauded Morales' analysis. ¶3. Morales extended this tone to the summit's main theme, media. He told reporters that he "considers media outlets as the primary obstacles and source of resistance to the process of change." Arguing that media is the result of capital concentrated in the hands of a few, he stated that it does not serve the people of Bolivia. ¶4. Cuban Minister of Culture Abel Prieto warned that media owners who lie should be sentenced to life in prison. Striking a similar tone as Morales, he claimed that mainstream media ignores the genuine culture of Latin America and is only an expression "hegemonic" interests. To counter the "hegemonic" influences, the Bolivian, Cuban, and Venezuelan governments signed a joint agreement to create an observatory that will monitor communications. In addition to the observatory, Prieto announced that the three countries will establish a tribunal to judge against those who are responsible for lies propelled by the media. Ironically, participants applauded these pronouncements as steps towards the "democratization" of media. ¶5. COMMENT: Whenever Morales appears in public accompanied by Cuban and Venezuelan officials, his rhetoric runs hot. It remains to be seen just how far Morales is poised to follow his mentor Hugo Chavez in pursuing the media. In fact, on May 26, Morales avoided commenting on RCTV, by stating, "We have never thought about shutting down channels, as some have distorted, as some media outlets always distort." END COMMENT. URS