RESIST THE FREE TRADE AREA OF THE AMERICAS (FTAA)
POLITICS: U.S. Must Reverse Neglect of Latin America - Report (Feb. 28, 2003 / IPS)
Administration presents Congress with ambitious free trade agenda (Feb. 26, 2003 / AP) To Democrat critics who complained about how the texts of the Singapore and Chile free trade agreements have been kept from public view, USTR Robert Zoellick claimed that the administration did not want to release them for public review until administration lawyers had the chance to review the documents and "check for any errors of translation".... Corporate Pett's old trick!
U.S. trade official in Brazil to discuss hemisphere-wide free trade area (Feb. 26, 2003 / AP)
TRADE: U.S. Opening Offer for Americas Deal Ignores Farm Subsidies (Feb. 12, 2003 / IPS) "...The failure to commit to ending U.S. anti-dumping laws--to which Zoellick had agreed at World Trade Organization (WTO) talks at Doha in November 2001--would anger Brazil, whose steel industry has been hit hard by those measures, said Lori Wallach, a trade specialist at Global Trade Watch. Similarly, the quick phase-out of textile and apparel tariffs could deal a serious blow to Caribbean and Central American economies that would effectively lose their preferential access to the U.S. market provided to them last year...." Sherman Katz, a trade specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says: "The tough part will be bringing along countries like Brazil who will be threatened by the possibility that the U.S. will go ahead with highly favorable offers to those willing to go along when Brazil prefers a straight-up most-favored-nation offer that applies equally to all countries. We're seeing some divide and rule here...."
U.S. Turns Attention To Latin America On Trade Front (Feb. 11, 2003 / Dow Jones) "Trying to breathe new life into flagging hemisphere-wide free trade talks, U.S. officials offered Tuesday to slash tariffs on a wide range of imports from struggling Latin American and Caribbean economies. In the most important concession, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick said Washington is prepared to scrap duties on textile and apparel imports by 2010. In return, the U.S. wants, among other things, better access to financial services.... But trade watchers say Washington will probably have to take several more steps if it hopes to clinch the 34-nation Free Trade Area of the Americas initiative by its 2005 target date. While Zoellick said "everything is on the table," he made no mention of eliminating huge subsidies for U.S. farmers, long a sticking point for major agricultural exporters like Brazil and Argentina.... A public opinion poll carried out last month by CNT/Sensus in Brazil, Latin America's most populous country, found that only 15% were in favor of FTAA, compared with 39% against. The remainder are sitting on the fence, waiting for more fine print to arrive." See also: US Unveils Broad Plan for Americas Free Trade (Feb. 11, 2003 / Reuters); Administration offers sweeping tariff cuts to bolster flagging free trade talks (Feb. 11, 2003 / AP); White House Unveils New Free Trade Area - "The United States is putting forward a proposal that basically ignores the key demands of countries like Brazil concerning such products as steel and agricultural goods such as citrus, soy beans and beef. I think this will be seen in Brazil as a slap in the face...." said Lori Wallach, director of the Citizens Trade Campaign.
Poor Mexico Farmers Boycott National Farming Policy Talks (Feb. 10, 2003 / AP) "...Missing were three groups that have staged protests around the country in recent months to demand more protection and aid for Mexico's small farms: The Countryside Can't Stand More, the Permanent Agrarian Congress and El Barzon, or "the yoke-strap," which takes its name from a famous Mexican song. The groups complained about the site of the meeting and accused the government of trying to impose a format that will let it direct the course of talks...."
BRAZILIAN CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE FTAA - Free Trade Area of the Americas (Feb. 10, 2003 / Campanha No Alca)
CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLES ABOUT Feb. 7 MONTREAL ANTI-FTAA demonstration
Colombia Calls For Free-Trade Deal With US (Feb. 7, 2003 / DowJones) "...Moreno said neither the FTAA nor attempts at a worldwide free trade pact are compatible for Colombia...."
Mexican government, farmers start negotiations to reach national accord (Feb. 6, 2003 / AP)
ANTI-FTAA PROTEST! FRIDAY - FEB. 7 - 2003 (Feb. 1, 2003 / SNSF) Includes: "Just who is this Pierre Pettigrew?" The Canadian Minister of International Trade is entrusted with negotiating away huge chunks of sovereign democratic powers....it might be a good idea to find out more about this guy! Included as part of Feb. 7 demonstration callout. (Click here for more about Feb. 7 Montreal anti-FTAA demo)
Mexico: Pacific protesters against FTAA jailed / México, encarcelan a manifestantes pacíficos (Feb. 5, 2003 / CENCOS); Mexico City protesters demonstrate against U.S. influence (Feb. 5, 2003 / AP)
Mercosur Pledges To Common Stance In Upcoming FTAA Talks(Feb. 5, 2003 / DowJones)
Next FTAA ministerial set for Nov. 20-21 in Miami (Jan. 31, 2003); 34-Country Trade Meeting Set for Nov. 20-21 (Jan. 31, 2003 / AP); Miami to host business summits (Feb. 1, 2003 / Miami Herald) - Note how Miami developer Armando Codina, chairman and chief executive of the Codina Group and former business partner of Jeb Bush, has been selected to serve as the president of the Americas Business Forum which will be held in Miami just prior to the FTAA ministerial.
Comments Regarding the Free Trade Area of the Americas from the Center for Policy Analysis on Trade and Health (CPATH) (Jan 31, 2003 / CPATH)
Mexican farmers stage mass protest against U.S. imports (Jan. 31, 2003 / AP); After monthlong truce, Mexican farmers renew protests against NAFTA tariff openings (Jan. 31, 2003 / AP)
Farm Groups Reject Mexico Talks Proposal (Jan. 27, 2003 / AP)
Let's Harness Trade for Development: Why Oxfam Opposes the FTAA (Jan. 25, 2003 / Oxfam) - A new Oxfam report is unveiled at Porto Alegre. Excerpt from executive summary: "...An agreement based on the extension of NAFTA to the rest of the Hemisphere would constitute a setback to efforts to eradicate poverty and to promote equitable and sustainable development. The demands of a globalized world require a process and an agreement more in line with the democratic aspirations of the citizens of the Americas."
Social Forum Activists Blast Bush Plan (Jan. 25, 2003 / AP) "...Manuel Masaquiza of Ecuador's National Indian Conference called the FTAA 'the birth of a monster that will devour the poor and marginalized of Latin America.' Ecuador's Indians, already the country's poorest citizens, doubt they can compete with an anticipated flood of American products if the trade agreement goes through, Masaquiza said...."
Beaudoin souhaite un référendum sur la ZLEA (25 janvier, 2003 / Le Devoir ) «Je pense qu'il faut une consultation formelle [sur ZLEA] pour que tous les citoyens du Québec se prononcent sur une question aussi fondamentale et structurante par rapport à leur avenir dans les Amériques», a affirmé, La ministre des Affaires internationales, Louise Beaudoin, hier, depuis Porto Alegre, au Brésil, où elle participe au troisième Forum social mondial.
Quand ZLEA signifie danger (25 janvier, 2003 / Le Devoir ) "...La défense de l'industrie canadienne contre la libéralisation des échanges ne vise pas seulement la protection de plusieurs dizaines de milliers d'emplois difficiles à remplacer, tout particulièrement en région, plaide-t-on. Dans le domaine agricole, «c'est aussi une question de qualité de produits», assure Laurent Pellerin, qui rappelle que les normes canadiennes de salubrité sont tellement élevées qu'elles constituent le principal frein de l'entrée du lait américain sur le marché canadien...."
Ottawa expanding role for provinces during free trade negotiations: Bradshaw (Jan. 24, 2003 / CP) "We are more and more transparent," Corporate Pett's spokesman Sebastien ThebergeTheberge said. Perhaps, but this is little consolation to provinces considering how the basic FTAA agenda has long been established -- in the most opaque conditions, one might add -- and the chances of significantly redirecting negotiations are negligible.... "Pettigrew will meet provincial delegates in Montreal on Feb. 7 to discuss a variety of bilateral and multilateral trade issues, Theberge said."
Rich countries must cut farm subsidies if they want more trade, Latin American politicians say (Jan. 24, 2003 / AP)
Mercosur May Not Present United Front In FTAA Talks-Press (Jan. 22, 2003 / DowJones) "Top Brazilian ministers want members of South America's biggest trade bloc to present individual proposals in three key areas when negotiating a Free Trade Area of the Americas accord with the U.S., local daily O Estado de S. Paulo reported Wednesday...."
MEXICO: Industrialists Want Strong-Arm Approach to Farm Protests (Jan. 21, 2003 / IPS) "...The country's industrialists defend the strict application of NAFTA, which provides them with access to imported raw materials at lower prices than those offered by local suppliers, while facilitating exports of manufactured goods.... Public spending in support of the rural sector shrank 95.5 percent between 1982 and 2001, said researcher José Luis Calva with the National Autonomous University of Mexico...."
After monthlong truce, Mexican farmers renew protests against NAFTA tariff openings (Jan. 20, 2003 / AP)
Même sans le gouvernement - Le Québec aura sa propre Consulta sur la ZLEA (Jan. 17, 2003 / Le Devoir)
Marois entend présenter un budget en mars ou en avril (Jan. 16, 2003 / Le Devoir) "...Mme Marois s'est dite favorable à la tenue d'une consultation populaire au Québec sur la Zone de libre-échange des Amériques (ZLEA), sous forme d'un référendum ou autre... Cette proposition de tenir un référendum sur la ZLEA est contenue dans le document du Parti québécois dont on discutera lors du prochain congrès d'orientation de la formation politique, en mars...."
FTAA re-visited, from a Caribbean perspective (January 16, 2003 / Antigua Sun)
Mexican farmers say NAFTA ruins lives, forces migration (Jan. 14, 2003 / Arizona Republic)
ECUADOR: New President to Seek Debt Relief, Integration, Equality (Jan. 14, 2003 / IPS) Lucio Gutiérrez, who is to be sworn in on Wednesday as President of Ecuador, "said his government will place priority on the integration of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), which comprises Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela, and of the entire South American continent before moving forward with the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the creation of which is in the negotiating stages. 'First it is necessary to deepen integration with our equals, the Andean countries, and then extend integration to the rest of South America. This is already under way and we have even made contacts for joining Mercosur... That is the process that should be followed before deciding if we will enter the FTAA or not.' Gutiérrez believes that the creation of the hemisphere-wide FTAA should be a decision made with the consensus of all Latin American nations, 'because entering the accord individually would be detrimental' to the region's social and economic future."
Hemisphere-wide protests and referendums are on the agenda for 2003 (Jan. 9, 2003 / México Solidarity Network)
Protesters Seize San Salvador Cathedral (Jan. 8, 2003 / AP)
Fox says Mexico open to renegotiating NAFTA provisions, but warns against it (Jan. 8, 2003 / AP)
Mexican president promises 'total support' for nation's beleaguered farmers (Jan. 6, 2003) "...Several farming organizations led peaceful protest marches throughout the country to demand that the farming crisis stay high on the national agenda. Some said that no accord will be acceptable if it fails to include changes to NAFTA. Alberto Gomez Flores, a spokesman for 12 farmers' organizations belonging to the umbrella group Farmers Can't Take it Any More said group members began a series of fasts Monday. 'The fasts will stop when the president informs us that he has taken the appropriate steps with his U.S. counterparts to begin renegotiating NAFTA,' he said."
Brazil foreign minister pledges strong stance in trade negotiations with U.S. (Jan. 5, 2003 / AP)
Bush Trade Agenda Faces Key Tests in 2003 (January 4, 2003 / Reuters)
Ecuadoran: joining FTAA is "suicide" (Jan. 2, 2003 / BBC)
Free-trade focus on Central America (Jan 1, 2003 / Toronto Star) The Bush administration will launch formal talks this week in pursuit of a Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Please see: Letter Campaign to Stop CAFTA and www.cispes.org
Mexico, Farmers Avoid Border Protests (Dec. 31, 2002 / AP)
Mexican Farmers See Death Sentence in NAFTA (Dec. 28, 2002 / Reuters)
Farmers tackle free trade issue (Dec. 23, 2002 / Daily News - Nanaimo) "... In February, [Wendy Holm, an agrologist who has been leading a fight on behalf of B.C. farmers to get an exemption for water under the Free Trade and NAFTA agreements,] will be going to Ottawa with dozens of resolutions by farm organizations throughout B.C. to press for changes to NAFTA and the FTA."
Mexican President Refuses NAFTA Call (Dec. 21, 2002 / AP) Vicente Fox opts to abandon Mexico's farmers, intoning that they must be more "competitive and productive." The average Mexican farmer receives less than one twenty-fifth the amount of state subsidies that an average U.S. farmer receives.
Nafta to Open Foodgates, Engulfing Rural Mexico (December 19, 2002 / New York Times) On Jan. 1, tariffs on almost all agricultural imports from the United States will end. "Some 700,000 people are expected to lose jobs in farming and other food industries next year, warned Armando Paredes Arroyo, president of the National Agriculture Commission...." ; For more on the fate of Mexican agriculture, see: Cheap U. S. Items Force Many Off Land in Mexico (Dec. 15, 2002 / Copley News Service); Poultry Exporters Seek To Soften NAFTA Impacts In Mexico (Dec. 9, 2002 / Foodstuffs); Free Trade Proves Devastating for Mexican Farmers (Oct. 26, 2002 / L.A. Times); and for more general context, see: Mexican campesinos challenge Fox's economic policies
Court Orders Bush Administration Must Give Trade Documents to the Public (Dec. 19, 2002) "This ruling raised the bar for transparency in future free trade negotiations like the Free Trade Area of the Americas," said Martin Wagner, director of international programs for Earthjustice. "From now on the government can no longer negotiate in secret, hiding its actions from the public until it's too late to change the terms of the agreement. The court's decision will give the public the information it needs to make sure the government is truly negotiating in the people's interest...."; See aslo: US Court:Trade Negotiators Must Disclose More On Chile Pact (Dec. 20, 2002 / Dow Jones)
Mexican lawmakers tell farmers new NAFTA regulations unfair (Dec. 19, 2002 / AP) "Eric Eber Villanueva, president of the governing board for Mexico's lower house of Congress, said in a statement that Mexican farmers were struggling through 'one of their worst periods, and they are in crisis....' "
Le Canada, dépotoir des déchets toxiques américains (17 décembre, 2002 / Le Devoir) "L'ALENA a eu plusieurs impacts environnementaux majeurs sur l'environnement des trois pays signataires, dont un des plus évidents a été de créer des «refuges pour pollueurs», ce qui a permis aux industriels américains d'utiliser le Québec et l'Ontario comme points de chute de leurs déchets toxiques en raison de règles environnementales plus faibles qu'aux États-Unis. C'est ce qu'affirme le bilan publié hier par la Commission de coopération environnementale (CCE) de l'ALENA à l'occasion du dixième anniversaire, aujourd'hui, du traité nord-américain qui a libéralisé le commerce et aussi les investissements entre les États-Unis, le Canada et le Mexique...."
Mexique - Faut-il sauver les maquiladoras? (14 décembre, 2002 / Le Devoir) Mathieu Arès, chercheur sur l'Amérique latine à l'Université du Québec à Montréal, conclut : «Officiellement, le président Vicente Fox se dit en faveur de la ratification d'une zone de libre-échange des Amériques. Dans les faits, on n'est pas déçu que les négociations ne marchent pas.»
Memo to Canadian Cabinet Sets Out Proposed Changes to Canadian Foreign Investment Protection Agreements (FIPAs) (Dec. 13, 2002 / IISD) "A confidential memo prepared by Canadian trade bureaucrats for the Canadian Cabinet ... sets out a proposed overhaul of Canada's investment negotiating position for future agreements. The memo diverges sharply from the public position of Canada's trade department, insofar as it acknowledges various specific shortcomings with the current negotiating template. This template currently underpins the NAFTA, as well as some 18 bilateral investment treaties."
Mexican truckers threaten strike over NAFTA provisions (Dec. 12, 2002 / EFE)
Politicians exchange insults day after congressional invasion (Dec. 12, 2002 / AP)
Two trilingual Havana anti-FTAA conference documents are now online:
Police officers remove cows from streets, politicians exchange verbal fire day after congress invasion (December 11, 2002 / AP) Fed up with the disastrous impacts of NAFTA and inaction by Mexican legislators to rectify matters, farmers "rode horses into the lobby [of Mexican Congress], broke down a glass partition in the lobby, hurled fire extinguishers at security guards and shook their fists at legislators inside the main chamber. The actions sparked chaos and sent some legislators diving for cover under their desks...." See also: Disgruntled citizens cause chaos on city streets (Dec. 11, 2002 / TheNewsMexico.com); Anti-NAFTA protesters storm into Mexican Congress on horseback (Dec. 11, 2002 / AP)
Free Trade Areas of Americas Initiative Finds New Steam (Dec. 11, 2002 / DowJones)
Report – The 2nd annual hemispheric meeting against the FTAA, Havana, Nov 25-28 2002 (Dec. 9, 2002 / SNSF)
Canadians divided on NAFTA, survey finds (Dec. 9, 2002 / Globe & Mail); See also: Nearly half of Canadians said their country a loser in free trade says poll (Dec. 8, 2002 / CP)
Three former leaders hail NAFTA, press for hemispheric free trade (Dec. 9, 2002 / AP) Canada's smoothest and most successful political crook, Brian Mulroney (see: The Last Amigo and On the Take by Stevie Cameron) celebrates, along with Bush the Father and Carlos Salinas de Gotari, the 10th anniversary of their successful subversion of the public interest in favor of multinational corporatism.
Mexico Auto Industries A Prime Beneficiary Of Nafta -AMIA Executive (Dec. 9, 2002 / DowJones); But also see: Mexican Auto Industry Braces for Competition (May 26, 2002 / Los Angeles Times)
Campesino protests to escalate (Dec. 8, 2002 / TheNewsMexico.com) "If (President Vicente) Fox doesn't act soon, he can only expect massive mobilizations across the country," said Dep. Jaime Rodriguez, who heads the Chamber's Agriculture Committee....U.S. farmers receive an average of 20,800 dollars each yearly. Mexico only manages to dole out about 720 dollars a year to its farmers.
NAFTA's Chapter 11 'Frontier Justice'needs Reform (Dec. 6, 2002 / Lawyer's Weekly)
Do international trade agreements threaten system of medicare? (Dec. 6, 2002 / Globe & Mail)
Latin America OKs Trade Barrier Deadline (Dec. 6, 2002 / AP) "South American leaders set a timetable Friday for creating a free trade agreement to cover South America and possibly the Caribbean. Negotiations will begin soon to eliminate tariff barriers between the continent's six Mercosur countries and five other nations of the Andean Community trading bloc, said Ramon Rosales, Venezuela's chief delegate said. A final agreement could be in place within a year, giving South America more clout in U.S.-led negotiations for the Free Trade Area of the Americas, Rosales said...."; Version française: Le Cône Sud veut plus de poids au sein de la ZLEA (7 dec. 2002 / AP)
TRADE-MEXICO: NAFTA Equals Death, Say Peasant Farmers (Dec. 4, 2002 / IPS) "...for Mexico's rural areas, where 75 percent of the population living in extreme poverty is concentrated, the three- country treaty has meant the loss of more than 10 million hectares of cultivated land. And the decline of the rural sector has pushed 15 million peasants -- and mostly young people -- to move to the cities, either in Mexico or in the United States, according to a study by the Autonomous National University of Mexico (UNAM). Over the last 10 years, the participation of the farming sector in Mexico's gross domestic product (GDP (news - web sites)) has fallen from 7.3 percent to less than 5.0 percent.... Without exception, Mexico's farmer organizations believe the new phase of NAFTA-stipulated farm trade liberalization will generate more poverty and prompt more people to leave rural areas. 'The countryside is a time-bomb that could explode very soon,' commented Rosario Robles, chairwoman of the leftist Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), the country's third political force...."
Farm Trade Gap with Americas Worries U.S. (Dec. 2, 2002 / Reuters)
See: FTAA 2001-2002 for previous archives