Span/Eng/Nat Leaders of the world's poor nations are arriving in Cuba for a 2-day summit beginning on Wednesday at which they plan to push for more aid, fewer debts and a greater role in international decision-making. The event sees the first ever summit of the so-called Group of 77, established in 1966 to unite the poorer nations of Latin America, Africa and Asia. Leaders of the world's poor nations continued arriving in Cuba on Tuesday to attend the G-77 summit which starts on Wednesday. Among the recent arrivals were South African President Thabo Mbeki, Chinese Vice-President Li Lanquing and Mozambiquan President Joaquin Alberto Chissano. Other leaders attending include Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Indonesian President Aburrahman Wahid, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. In all about 40 heads of state or government - and delegations from 80 other nations - are attending the first ever summit in the 34-year history of the so-called Group of 77, which has grown since its founding to number 133 members. The summit aims to ratify a draft of a proposed plan of action for the organisation. Proposals call for a new global economic system that would share technological advances, increase aid and investment, write off poor country's debts and allow them more say in determining how aid is used. They also urge preferential trade concessions for poorer nations and freer movement of labour to match recent liberalisation of capital flows. U-N Secretary General Kofi Annan made a speech at the University of Havana on Tuesday, in which he touched on many of the issues affecting G-77 countries. He pointed out that globalisation, while benefiting many in richer nations, can actually be a disruptive force in poor nations, capable of destroying jobs, traditions and even threatening the very fabric of society. He also emphasised the importance of democracy as an important aid to development. SOUNDBITE: (English) "A state that denies itself democratic processes, and institutions, will thereby impede the development and progress of its people, denying them the chance to interact fully with the larger world." SUPER CAPTION: Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General Fidel Castro then stood to speak and insisted Cuba had no argument with the United Nations. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "We are not enemies of the United Nations, I think it's actually one of the few good things that we have." SUPER CAPTION: Fidel Castro, President of Cuba Latin American delegates were conspicuous in their absence, the one exception being Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, who has always enjoyed warm relations with Castro. It is thought that many Latin American countries stayed away because of ideological differences with the Castro regime and fears of complicating relations with the U-S. Chavez said he came to the summit in a spirit of cooperation in the hope that developing countries could achieve true cooperation and a fairer world in the new century. Inevitably Chavez was asked about the continuing saga surrounding the fate of 6-year-old Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez, who has been in the U-S since he was shipwrecked off the American coast last year. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "I think the Elian case is over, and I hope that he will return to Cuba soon." SUPER CAPTION: Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela The boy was the subject of a televised debate on Tuesday attended by Castro and relatives of Elian. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) SUPER CAPTION: Raquel Rodriquez, Paternal Grandmother Elian's father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, is in America at the moment waiting for his son to be returned to him. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/10459349ff0a6e277917e7814a822b88 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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