FIRST CONGRESS OF LATIN-AMERICAN WOMEN
In the last week of November, 1959, in Santiago (Chile) the First Congress of Latin American The Stalinists tried to give it a "broad" character, by trying to secure the participation of bourgeois tendencies. This endeavour failed, however, because the bourgeoisie was not interested in participating in a Congress working-class women were dominant. For the same reason, the Chilean Christian-democrat and bourgeois-Radical representatives withdrew from the . Commission of the Congress, under the pretext of "lack of democracy.
The Stalinists tried to change the Congress into a platform for the Latin American echo of Khrushchev's policy of "peaceful coëxistence," but also failed in this effort.
Most succesful, on the contrary, was the combative intervention of a broad Cuban delegation, by delegates from the Movement of July 26. They participated in the main Commission, which approved a report by a socialist comrade who defended the nerspectives of the IVth International.
Many Chilean Trotskyists were also delegated to Congress, in spite of the resistance of the Stalinists. fraternized with the other delegates, distributed the Revista Marxista Latino-Americana and other Trotskyist material. The Partido Obrero Revolucionario (IVth International) issued a declaration to all delegates, in which it was stressed that the problems of the working women of America cannot be separated from the general process of the class
The Congress adopted a series of declarations on the youth, on crêches, on the agrarian reform. The strongest discussion took place on the problem of peace. The Stalinists proposed a resolution that "This Congress want peace."
Trotskyists, socialists and Movement of July 26 approved another statement: "Peace is conditional on the liberation of the peoples.
The next Congress of Latin American Women will take place in Havana.