MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bachelet inaugurates International Socialist congress

Chilean president Michelle Bachelet inaugurates Monday the International Socialist World Council currently presided by former Greek Premier George Papandreu and which is expected to convene 300 delegates from over a hundred countries.

The two days event was preceded by a meeting of the International Socialist Bureau which had fifty women delegates discuss "Women leading governance and development in Latin America and the Caribbean".

Chairman Luis Ayala said that the International Socialist is currently the world's largest political organization with 161 parties associated of which 50 are in office, including Tony Blair and the Labor party in the UK.

Besides Papandreu the meeting will include Jose Blanco from the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers Party; the chairman of the Italian Socialist Democratic party Perio Fassmo and a delegation from Brazil's Workers Party which currently rules the country with president Lula da Silva. Parliamentarians, party leaders and ruling parties' ministers from Africa, Asia, Middle East and Latinamerica are also expected.

"From a national governance to a global governance; priorities for a sustainable future" will be debated during the conference's first day.

A second debate will refer to "Energy and climate change" and a third to "New horizons for peace".

Chairman Ayala said Chile was chosen to host the meeting for three very good reasons. First Chile is in the midst of a debate about distribution and inclusion, "economic expansion with greater solidarity".

The debate also includes social protection and the strengthening of democracy and lastly the fact that Chile is ruled by a woman "which makes us all Socialists from the world very proud since there's great symbolism in this advance".