Cuba: Bruno Rodriguez Receives Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister

[Judi Lynn]

Cuba: Bruno Rodriguez Receives Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister
HAVANA, Cuba, May 31 (acn) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez met with the Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister Izaat Saad in Havana this Monday.

Rodriguez welcomed Saad at the Foreign Ministry’s headquarters and said he was honoured with his visit. Saad is part of a delegation from his country that now heads the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) of which both countries are members.

Cuba handed over Egypt the NAM Presidency in its XV Summit, held in the African country in 2009 with the participation of almost 50 heads of state and 120 delegations.

On that occasion, Cuban President Raul Castro defined as NAM´s priorities to preserve peace and international security, and the urgent need to eliminate all nuclear and Mass Destruction Weapons (MDW)

http://www.cubanews.ain.cu/2010/0531brunorodriguez.htm

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Non-Aligned Movement

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is an intergovernmental organization of states considering themselves not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. The movement is largely the brainchild of India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, president of Egypt Gamal Abdul Nasser and Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito. It was founded in Belgrade (1961); as of 2009, it has 118 members and 17 observer countries.<1> The purpose of the organisation as stated in the Havana Declaration of 1979 is to ensure "the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned countries" in their "struggle against imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism, and all forms of foreign aggression, occupation, domination, interference or hegemony as well as against great power and bloc politics."<2> They represent nearly two-thirds of the United Nations's members and comprise 55% of the world population, particularly countries considered to be developing or part of the third world.<3>

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Contemporary relevance
Since the end of the Cold War and the formal end of colonialism, the Non-aligned movement has been forced to redefine itself and reinvent its purpose in the current world system. A major question has been whether many of its foundational ideologies, principally national independence, territorial integrity, and the struggle against colonialism and imperialism, can be applied to contemporary issues. The movement has emphasised its principles of multilateralism, equality, and mutual non-aggression in attempting to become a stronger voice for the global South, and an instrument that can be utilised to promote the needs of member nations at the international level and strengthen their political leverage when negotiating with developed nations. In its efforts to advance Southern interests, the movement has stressed the importance of cooperation and unity amongst member states,<11> but as in the past, cohesion remains a problem since the size of the organisation and the divergence of agendas and allegiances present the ongoing potential for fragmentation. While agreement on basic principles has been smooth, taking definitive action vis-à-vis particular international issues has been rare, with the movement preferring to assert its criticism or support rather than pass hard-line resolutions.<12> The movement continues to see a role for itself, as in its view, the world’s poorest nations remain exploited and marginalised, no longer by opposing superpowers, but rather in a uni-polar world,<13> and it is Western hegemony and neo-colonialism that that the movement has really re-aligned itself against. It opposes foreign occupation, interference in internal affairs, and aggressive unilateral measures, but it has also shifted to focus on the socio-economic challenges facing member states, especially the inequalities manifested by globalisation and the implications of neo-liberal policies. The non-aligned movement has identified economic underdevelopment, poverty, and social injustices as growing threats to peace and security.<14>

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Aligned_Movement