A delegation* of 9 MEPs from the European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) Group in the European Parliament is travelling to Dakar this weekend to take part in the World Social Forum 2011 to be held in Senegal from February 6 to 11.

Members of the GUE/NGL will participate in the World Parliamentary Forum on February 8 and, the next day, will organise a meeting of deputies from the left to discuss and take positions on policies including the exclusion of migrants - notably the Return Directive and the externalisation of European migration policy - to defend genuine cooperation between peoples and to defend peace and disarmament by categorically opposing war and NATO.

MEPs will participate in the World Social Forum to make more effective their parliamentary work, to continue building, with the forces of the left and social movement networks, alternatives to neo-liberal economic and neo-colonial policies, to deregulation and the pillaging of raw materials by multinational corporations, as well as the austerity policies that right-wing governments and financial markets are trying to impose on the peoples of the South and North as the only response to the multiple crises they have generated.
 
*Delegation of GUE/NGL MEPs in Dakar:
Alfreds Rubiks (Latvia), Gabi Zimmer (Germany), Helmut Scholz (Germany), Ilda Figueiredo (Portugal), Marie-Christine Vergiat (France), Sabine Lösing (Germany), Søren Bo Søndergaard (Denmark), Thomas Handel (Germany) , Willy Meyer (Spain).

for information:

Paul-Emile Dupret: paul-emile.dupret@europarl.europa.eu  Tel Dakar:  +221 77 390 24 04

Mauricio Miguel: mauricio.miguel@europarl.europa.eu    Tel Dakar:  +221 77 393 66 67

GUE/NGL Press contact
Gianfranco Battistini +32 475 64 66 28
Gay Kavanagh + 32 473 842 320
David Lundy + 32 485 505812
www.guengl.eu