MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

World progressive leaders meet in Chile to talk politics

Bachelet and Brown will try to resurface the “Third way ”concept

Chile will be hosting at the end of March the “Progressive Leaders' summit” which is organized by the British think-tank Policy Network. The previous event was in London, last April hosted by Prime Minister Gordon Brown as head of the Labour party.

The coming meeting to be held in Viña del Mar on the Pacific has as confirmed participants Gordon Brown, Germany's Angela Merkel, Spain's Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Australian Primer Minister Kevin Rudd, Argentina's Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Brazil's Lula da Silva and host Chilean president Michelle Bachelet. Of the many bilateral meetings which occur in such meetings, the Argentine press is already speculating that Mrs. Cristina Kirchner will most probably address PM Brown to talk about Argentine claims over the Falklands/Malvinas. Two other possible visitors are Anthony Giddens, father of the so called "Third Way" and considered one of the brains behind modern Labour plus Meter Mandelson currently a member of PM Brown's cabinet. Walter Veltroni from the Italian Democratic Party and an ideologue of the new Italian Socialism is also expected. Former US president Bill Clinton who usually attends has not confirmed his trip to the Chile summit. Another heavy weight of the club, former Chilean president Ricardo Lagos will be absent because he has his own event the Madrid Club of former presidents that will be meeting March 27/28 in Madrid, Spain. As can be expected the agenda will address the current global recession and how to ensure jobs and living standards in the context of the "Third Way" thinking. The third way concept which evolved to the so called progressive governments and leaders is described as an attempt to strike a balance between Socialism and capitalism, with strong government monitoring over the economy. Anthony Giddens is merited with having surfaced the early XX century concept which became a reference for Socialist oriented leaders such as Tony Blair, Germany's Gerhard Schroeder, Brazil's Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Ricardo Lagos and Bill Clinton. In April 1999 then President Clinton invited to the White House the Primer ministers of Britain, Tony Blair; Holland, Wim Kok; Italy, Massimo D'Alema and German Chancellor Schroeder to discuss politics and making politics in a globalized world. From then on the meeting was called "Progressive Leaders summit" and is held regularly in different countries of the world.