The presidents of Venezuela and Ecuador are calling for an overhaul of
capitalism as they join thousands of anti-globalization activists at
this year's World Social Forum in Belem, Brazil.
Venezuela's
Hugo Chavez and Ecuador's Rafael Correa made their comments Thursday at
the conference, which is intended to provide a counterweight to this
week's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The two
presidents are among five Latin American leaders scheduled to join an
estimated 100,000 activists in Belem. Paraguayan President Fernando
Lugo and Evo Morales of Bolivia are also taking part.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is to attend this year instead of traveling to the Davos forum.
The
six-day World Social Forum, in its ninth year, is aimed at analyzing
alternatives to capitalism, and comes this year in the midst of the
global economic crisis.
An estimated
100,000 activists from 150 countries worldwide are participating
in the forum, which opened Tuesday and ends on Sunday.
On
Wednesday, delegates analyzed the plight of indigenous communities in
the Amazon. They highlighted environmental concerns, such as
deforestation and excessive farming.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
