Ogata in Brazil attends PT-hosted seminar on leftist governments in Latin America

   A Japanese Communist Party delegation led by Vice Chair Ogata Yasuo, in Sao Paulo to attend the third national congress of the Workers’ Party (PT), the ruling party of the Lula administration, on August 30 took part in a PT-hosted seminar, entitled “Left-wing and Progressive Governments in Latin America.”

   Representatives of political parties from about 40 countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe participated in this meeting. The PT and other Latin American parties, with most of them as ruling parties, made reports on specific measures of their governments to reject U.S. economic and political domination and to turn the neoliberal economic policies into policies attaching importance to the improvement of people’s living standards as well as on their domestic and international policies, the ruling coalitions’ political programs, achievements and difficulties that left parties are confronted with in their election campaigns, and the prospects for socialist development.

   Ogata wrote the text of a speech in response to the organizers’ request, but the Latin American representatives’ speeches totally consumed the time. Valter Pomar, PT International Relations secretary who served as chair in the seminar, said, “The JCP has submitted a text of a speech which we will distribute to all participants. So, please read it.” Ogata was asked by Brazilian and Paraguayan reporters why the JCP is so much interested in Latin American affairs to come all the way from Japan to participate in the congress.

   Later in the day, Ogata attended a dinner welcoming foreign guests and exchanged greetings with PT President Ricardo Berzoini and former President Marco Aurelio Garcia.

   Berzoini said, “Thank you for coming all the way from Japan to participate in our congress. I welcome you.” Expressing his gratitude, Ogata said, “In the seminar, I have come to understand the political changes in Brazil and other parts in Latin America.” They expressed their hope to further develop friendship and cooperation between their parties.                             - Akahata, September 1, 2007